Return to the Pokemon World
by MillenniumPrincess
Summary: Yugi and his friends return to the world of Pokémon and begin a new journey in the Kanto Region.
1. Animal Lovers

Animal Lovers

People who love animals see them as more than mere animals. They see them as companions, equals, and family. Emily was one of those kinds of people. She loved animals and believed that they deserved to live peacefully. That was how she felt towards her calico cat Avalon. She took her in as a kitten and now she was a young cat. Since the cat was nearing adulthood, it was time for her to be taken care of accordingly.

After feeding Avalon her breakfast and cleaning out her litter tray, Emily decided to make an appointment at the veterinarian's clinic. Avalon was due for a checkup and needed vaccines. Of course, no animal likes going to the vet, so of course, the calico was scared. But Emily promised her friend that she had nothing to be afraid of and it would all be over with quickly. Emily also promised that if Avalon behaved herself, she would get a treat. Finally, the calico submitted and walked inside her carrier.

When they got to the clinic, they saw other families with animals. Some were scared while others were content. It was hard for Avalon to relax; especially when she heard it was her turn. Emily helped her to relax by stroking her fur. Trying to think about getting a treat afterwards did help her behave in some way. She kept still while her weight and height was calculated, her eyes and ears were checked, her heart was listened to, and her teeth and claws were examined. But she couldn't help but cry when the vet checked her temperature and vaccinated her.

Since Avalon was rescued as a stray, the vet also had to test her for possible diseases such as heartworm. Thankfully, the results came back negative. It was good to hear that Avalon was healthy, however, the vet recommended that Emily should come back to schedule getting her fixed. Right now, Emily couldn't afford the procedure, so she said she would come back in time.

When they got home, Avalon immediately got out of the carrier and made herself comfortable on the living room sofa. As promised, Emily rewarded her with a piece of chicken. Avalon happily ate her treat and rubbed herself against her friend.

Seeing Avalon look so peaceful made Emily start thinking about everyone at the rescue farm in the Pokémon world. She missed her Pokémon and wondered how they were all doing. So she decided to pay them a visit. She couldn't do that, yet. Emily promised her friends that after taking Avalon to the vet, she would meet them at the square to hang out. Then she got an idea. After hanging out with her friends, she could invite them over to the farm. Emily also knew that if she was going to the Pokémon world, she would need her Keystone. So she placed her bracelet over her wrist, grabbed her purse, locked the door, and went on her way.

Emily made it to the square and saw Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Téa. Now that they were all together, they could go to the mall as planned. Before checking out the stores, everyone decided to have lunch in the diner's court. That was when Emily told them her plan.

"You're thinking about going back to the Pokémon world?" Joey asked.

Emily nodded. "After taking care of Avalon, I started to think about everybody back on the farm and wondered how they were all doing."

"That's right," Téa was saying. "You guys mentioned that you were Pokémon trainers. You also said you owned a farm for lost Pokémon."

"I was wondering if any of you wanted to come along," Emily inquired.

Yugi and Joey looked at each other. "It has been a while since we've been to the Pokémon world," Yugi was saying. "We should go back and check on them."

"I miss the excitement anyway," said Joey. "It's been weeks and a door to a new world hasn't opened up yet. We should go back and see our old friends."

"Téa, Tristan," Emily was asking, "Do you want to come too?"

They did want to join their friends. They wanted to see the Pokémon they acquired on their journey as well as visit the farm. Emily was due back anyway. If she had been away from the farm this long, then all the Pokémon certainly needed a lot of attending to; feeding, bathing, and of course, checkups. After lunch, everyone returned home to get ready.


	2. Return to the Pokemon World

Return to the Pokémon World

After getting all of their supplies, Yugi and his friends met up again and went to the Secret Garden. For Téa and Tristan, it felt good to be back on the grounds. They were always amazed by how tranquil this place was. Yugi led the way and brought his friends to the door containing the Pokéball printed on it.

When they passed through the door, everyone found themselves standing in front of the Eevee rescue farm. Téa and Tristan also noticed that their clothes had changed. Téa was wearing a light blue sleeveless shirt and a cream-colored skirt with beige boots and a white sun hat. Tristan was wearing a chocolate brown shirt, light blue jeans, and brown shoes.

"Check it out," Téa said, admiring her new look. "Our clothes have changed."

"Yeah, each world comes with its own unique wardrobe," Joey explained. "You'll get used to it."

"So where are we exactly?" Tristan asked.

"We're in the outskirts of Pallet Town in the Kanto Region," Yugi answered. "And this is the Eevee rescue farm we've told you about."

"It's so big," said Téa.

"From here, yes," Emily was saying, "but it's even bigger as you come inside. Come on in." And she began leading the way. Her friends saw that she was right. The barn was like the size of a fancy restaurant from the inside and was three stories high. Outside, there was a pond as big as a soccer field and there were trees and shrubs filled with all kinds of berries. They also saw a bunch of Eevee. Some were resting in the barn, some were playing in the grass, some were cleaning themselves, some were swimming, and some were eating.

"Wow," Téa was saying with awe, "they're so cute."

Tristan agreed. "Rambunctious little rascals, aren't they?"

"Feel free to look around, but be careful when you approach them," said Emily. "Some of them aren't quite used to people yet."

Suddenly, a Vaporeon, a Jolteon, a Flareon, an Espeon, an Umbreon, and an Eevee came before everybody. Emily recognized them and said with glee, "Undine, Sylphid, Salamando, Lumina, Shade, Luna! Hello, my old friends!" And she got down and began petting and hugging them.

"Check it out," Tristan said with excitement. "A bonanza of Eevee-lutions!"

"Are all of these yours?" Téa asked Emily.

She nods and says, "These guys helped me on my journey through the Johto Region." She looked up and saw a Vaporeon and Glaceon watching from the hayloft. "And those are their parents up there. The Vaporeon is their father, Adam, and the Glaceon is their mother, Mary."

"Did you name them yourself?" Tristan asked.

"I named their children, which they didn't mind at all," Emily replied. "Adam and Mary just insisted that they be called by those names. But the rest of the Eevee here don't have names. I just leave that up to the trainers who want to adopt them."

"So how do you tell them apart?" Téa wondered.

"I can talk to them and understand what they say," said Emily. "But I'm still trying to find a more practical approach." It was true. Though they were all Eevee, they were all different from each other. Like humans, these Pokémon had their own likes and dislikes when it came to food, comfort, style, and recreation.

While Emily was tending to the Eevee, she invited her friends to look around and interact with the Pokémon. While she hadn't seen her Pokemon in a month, they told her that she was only gone for two hours. The flow of time really was different between the two worlds. Not only does time slow down at home when in another world, but it's the same principle vice-versa. Nonetheless, she still took time to tend to the Eevee. She filled the dishes with food and added some flavor with the berries her Pokémon picked. Some of the Pokémon were dirty and needed to be groomed, so Emily prepared baths for them.

Yugi saw an Eevee swimming in the pond. "Hi there," he called. The Eevee responded to his call and approached him. He got out of the pond and shook himself to get the water off his fur. Afterwards, he sniffed Yugi's hand and rubbed himself against it. "You like water, don't you?" Yugi asked. Eevee smiled and nodded.

Joey saw some Eevee running around. As they raced across the field, they also jumped over some shrubs. They looked like athletes competing for a track race. It seemed like fun, so he decided to join in. He caught up to them and said, "I'll race you guys!" The Eevee made room for him so he could run with them.

Tristan saw two Eevee playing tug-of-war with a rope. He approached them and said, "Hey, guys. Want to play?" The Eevee looked at Tristan for a while, then stood on their hind legs and placed their front paws on his knees. He reached down and petted them. They played together by rolling in the grass. The Eevee also began jumping over him playfully.

Téa found a timid little Eevee hiding in one of the bushes. She knelt down and said softly, "Hello there." Carefully, she reached out her hand and asked, "Want to come out?" Eevee poked her head out of the bush. "It's okay," Téa said softly, flexing her fingers to urge her to come closer. "Want to be friends?" Cautiously, Eevee came out and began approaching Téa. She sniffed her hand for a second, then placed her front paws on Téa's knees. She also faced the bush and barked. Another Eevee came out and approached Téa. "Oh, you guys must be close." The second Eevee barked happily and jumped on Téa's chest. Her sister joined her and smiled at Téa. "It's nice to meet you too," Téa tells them as she strokes their fur.

It made Emily happy to see her friends and the Eevee getting along and playing together.


	3. My World is Your World

My World is Your World

Everyone was having too much fun with the Eevee, but it would soon be time to go home. Just then, a young man's voice called out, "Hello? Is anyone here?"

"I'm coming," Emily called back. She approached the door and saw a young man with black hair and brown eyes wearing a blue jacket over a white shirt, a red and black hat over his head, jeans, and black and red shoes. He also had a Pikachu on his shoulder. Emily recognized him and said, "Hey, I know you. You're Ash Ketchum, right?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" He gasped and said, "Hey, wait a minute, I've seen you before too. Aren't you the girl I saw riding on Lugia that night?"

"That's right." She held out her hand and introduced herself. "I'm Emily Briar."

"_The_ Emily Briar," Ash asked. "As in, Emily Briar, the Rainbow Duelist? Wow, it is such an honor to meet you," he said shaking her hand. Pikachu agreed.

"The honor's all mine," she returned. "I've heard a lot about you and how you competed in almost every Pokémon league in the world. And this must be your Pikachu," she said, scratching his chin. Pikachu squealed in delight.

To Ash, this was a first. Not many people he met knew about him or his travels. Actually, a lot of people were fans of his Pikachu more than Ash himself. But he also knew about the Duel Monsters card game and its champions. He had never learned to play the game because he was committed to achieving his dream of becoming a Pokémon master, but he still collected the cards and had some back home.

"So what can I do for you?" Emily asked, now that the introductions were over.

"Professor Oak told me about an Eevee rescue farm that just opened up here and I decided to check it out for myself," Ash answered. Then he wondered, "Are you the manager here?"

Emily chuckled and replied, "You could say that since I own this farm and take care of all the Eevee. Come on in." And she began leading Ash and Pikachu inside.

Ash was awestruck. "I've never seen so many Eevee in one place." Even Pikachu was amazed.

"I know," Emily was saying. "They're so rare and hard to come by in the wild. But these guys were rescued from poachers and brought here to begin a new life where they would be safe and find new homes. And as you can see, all of my friends are having fun playing with them."

Ash looked and recognized Yugi and Joey the moment he saw them. He also remembered that Yugi was the one riding Lugia with Emily.

"Hey, guys," Emily called to her friends. "Guess who's here?"

They gave her their attention and saw Ash and Pikachu next to her. They approached them and Joey asked, "Do my eyes deceive me or are you the famous Ash Ketchum?"

"I am," Ash answered. "And this is my partner Pikachu." Pikachu squealed happily. "And you guys must be the famous duelists Joey Wheeler and Yugi Muto."

"That's right," Yugi said, shaking his hand. "And these are our friends Téa and Tristan."

"Hi, Ash," Téa greeted. "We've heard a lot about you." She shook his hand and scratched Pikachu's ears. Tristan did the same thing.

To Ash, this was amazing. As honored as he was to meet the famous duelists he had heard so much about, he also found an opportunity. "Are you guys Pokémon trainers too?" he wondered. "Why don't we have a battle?"

"You want to battle all of us?" Emily asked, surprised.

"Why not?" Joey asked. He and Yugi got their Pokémon back from Professor Oak an hour ago and were looking forward to battling again after a long time. "I'll be your first opponent, Ash, if that's all right with you."

"That's fine," Ash agreed.

So the boys took their places in the field. Emily urged the Eevee back into the barn where they would be safe. Yugi decided to referee the match. "Ash and Joey with face each other in a Pokémon battle. Each trainer will use one Pokémon and the match with be over when either Pokémon is defeated. Battle begin!"

Ash chose Greninja as his Pokémon. Joey tossed his Pokéball and called on Ampharos. He had been looking forward to this for a long time. He placed his fingertips against his Keystone on his bracelet. The Mega Stone Ampharos was wearing reacted, and she Mega evolved. She had fleece covering her back and she also turned into a dragon-type Pokémon.

"What was that?" Téa asked.

"Joey tapped into the power of Mega Evolution," Emily explained. "A Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution must hold the appropriate Mega Stone. The trainer of that Pokémon must also wield a Keystone to invoke its power. The hearts of the Pokémon and the trainer must also be connected."

Ash's Greninja had a unique ability too. It had the ability to power up. It wasn't quite the same as Mega Evolution. Ash's Greninja's form changed, giving him the same characteristics as Ash and he was also surrounded in water. It was like they had become one and were battling together as one being.

Ampharos made the first move by attacking with Power Gem. Greninja countered by attacking with Water Shuriken. The collision of the attacks created a cloud of smoke. When it cleared, Ampharos launched her Electro Ball attack. Greninja countered with Water Pulse. Once again, it resulted into another explosion. Ampharos sent sparks of electricity flying with her Discharge attack, but Greninja was too fast and dodged them all. It seemed pointless to attack from afar, so Joey commanded a head-on attack with Headbutt. Ampharos charged in, but Greninja was ready. He charged in too and used Water Pulse. Dazed and confused from the attack, Ampharos staggered back. Greninja finished up with Water Shuriken. Ampharos fell back in defeat and reverted back to her original form. Greninja reverted back into his original form as well now that the match was over.

After Joey's defeat, Emily decided to take a turn. She chose Sylphid as her partner. Ash decided to choose Pikachu. The rules were the same. They would only battle with one Pokémon and the battle would be over when one of them was defeated. Pikachu charged in for a Quick Attack, but Sylphid dodged by trying to match Pikachu's speed. When he caught up, Sylphid got down on his side and used Double Kick. Pikachu tried to attack with Iron Tail, but Sylphid caught his tail in his teeth and used Thunder Fang. He also tossed Pikachu around and hit him against the ground. When Pikachu finally broke free, he got himself charged up and launched his Thunderbolt attack. Sylphid counted using Thunder. The attacks seemed evenly matched, but Sylphid's attack began to overpower Pikachu's. Neither attack successfully hit, so it all resulted in a cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared, they saw that both Pokémon were struggling to get on their feet. Ash and Emily encouraged their Pokémon to get back up, but both Pokémon fell in defeat.

It was Yugi's turn now, but before he could decide what Pokémon he wanted to use, his Togepi immediately came out of her Pokéball and walked in front of him. He shrugged and decided to go with it. Ash chose his Noivern as his next Pokémon. Yugi had the type advantage because fairy-type Pokémon were resistant to dragon-type attacks and dragon Pokémon were weak against fairy-type attacks. But what chance does a young Pokémon like Togepi have against a fully evolved Pokémon like Noivern? The boys were just going to have to play and find out.

Noivern charged in using Acrobatics, but Togepi sat still and used Sweet Kiss. The attack came into contact with Noivern and he became confused and was flying around in circles. Yugi decided to take a chance and command Togepi to use Metronome. She waved her fingers for a few seconds, then the attack turned out to be Leaf Tornado. Noivern got caught in the cyclone and was tossed around. When Noivern was released, he staggered back and fell in defeat.

As Togepi was happily running towards Yugi, she began glowing. Everyone knew what this sign was: she was evolving. Her body grew a little more curvy, her neck became thin and extended above her body, and wings grew from her back. She was now a Togetic. She flew into Yugi's arms and hugged him and Yugi hugged her back.

Ash was delighted that he got the chance to battle with Yugi, Joey, and Emily. With the results from the battle, it was clear to him that these guys really were champions. Even Téa and Tristan enjoyed the excitement.

"You guys are amazing," Ash told his new friends.

"Thanks," said Joey. "You were pretty tough too."

Yugi agreed. "It's obvious you've raised your Pokémon really well."

Ash nods and says, "My Pokémon always come through for me. We've been together for a long time, right, Pikachu?" His partner agreed. "Hey, Téa, Tristan, do you guys want to battle too?"

"Sorry, Ash," Téa was saying. "We're not trainers. We don't have Pokémon."

"You can if you want to," Emily offered. "If you'd like, you guys can have an Eevee of your own."

Téa and Tristan liked the sound of that, but after watching the Pokémon battle each other, it just seemed a little too exciting. "That's nice of you, Emily, but I don't think I'm ready to be a trainer right now. I mean, I like the Eevee," Téa says, ruffling the fur of the new friends she made, "and I think it's great to be a trainer. The battles, the adventures, all the places to see and the Pokémon to meet, it all sounds so exciting. But I don't think I want to do that yet."

"I think right now, we should think about it for a while," said Tristan.

Emily understood. "It's okay. We won't force you to if you don't want to."

"Why don't we just take you guys back home to our world for now?" Joey offered.

Ash was confused. "Your world?" Even Pikachu didn't understand.

Yugi smiled nervously. "Ash, would you come with me for a minute?" He faces his friends and promises, "We'll be right back." Yugi takes Ash inside the barn so he can explain everything. He clears his throat and asks, "Look, can I tell you the truth?"

"Sure, Yugi."

"Great. You see, my friends and I aren't from here. We're from another world."

Ash was trying to make sense of what he was hearing. "Are you saying you're from another planet?"

"No, no, no, that's not what I mean," Yugi said, trying his best to explain. "There's an enchanted realm with doors to other worlds. We came from our world to enter that realm so we could come to your world. When we did, my friends and I became Pokémon trainers and began a journey. Are you with me so far?"

"I think I get it," Ash replied.

Yugi knew Ash wasn't a quick learner when it came to things that didn't always involve Pokémon. He also knew that the best way to explain these things was by showing him. So Yugi got an idea and decided to show Ash the Secret Garden. "Come with me and I'll show you."

In situations like these, Ash's confusion would quickly turn into excitement. He was eager to follow Yugi and see this enchanted realm for himself. Pikachu was just as excited.

When they rejoined their friends, Yugi told everyone his plan. "Téa, Tristan, while I take you guys home, would it be all right if Ash joined us?"

Téa and Tristan didn't mind. "Joey, Emily, are you guys coming too?"

"I think I'll stay for a while and keep tending the Eevee," Emily replied. Joey decided to stay and help her. So it was settled. Yugi would escort his friends Téa and Tristan home and Ash and Pikachu would follow them. "Before you go, Ash, can I get a picture of you and Pikachu?"

"Sure, Emily," Ash replied. So she took out her camera and took a picture of Ash with Pikachu on his shoulder. The picture developed perfectly. Emily took out a marker and wrote Ash and Pikachu's names on the photo and taped it on one of the pages in her photo album. "What are you doing?" Ash asked.

"Whenever I make a new friend on a journey, I take their picture," she explained. "I have pictures of my friends from back home and even pictures of my friends in the other worlds."

"That's awesome," said Ash. "I can't wait to visit the other worlds and meet your friends." Pikachu squealed in agreement.

Yugi learned that there was more than one way to enter the Secret Garden and led the group to the pond. His friends were confused and didn't know what this was about, but he asked them to trust him. Yugi went into the water, inhaled deeply, and submerged himself underwater. His friends did the same thing. Yugi saw a ray of light at the surface and swam towards it with his friends following him. When they came to the surface, they found themselves in the pond of the Secret Garden.

"We're back in the Secret Garden," Téa said, taking in her surroundings. "How'd you know we could come here this way, Yugi?"

"Emily taught me," he answered, swimming out of the water. He reached out and pulled her out of the pond.

Ash looked around in amazement. "Is this the enchanted realm you were talking about, Yugi?"

"Yes, Ash. Welcome to the Secret Garden."

"It's huge," he said in awe.

"It's actually bigger than what you see," said Yugi. "This Garden is the heart of the Pure Valley."

"We're in a valley?" Ash asked, surprised.

"Is it me or does everything surprise you?" said a familiar voice.

"It's not you," another voice answered.

Yugi recognized that those voices belonged to Max and Kaiba and he saw them standing by the waterfall. "Kaiba, Max, I didn't realize you were here."

"Max told me you guys were going back to the Pokémon world, so we decided to follow you here."

Ash recognized Max and Kaiba the moment the saw them. "You're Seto Kaiba, another Duel Monsters champion. And you're that famous celebrity Max."

Kaiba chuckled in amusement. "I was right. Everything does surprise you." He shook hands with Ash and petted Pikachu's head. "So where are the others?" Kaiba asked Yugi.

"Back on the farm tending the Eevee," he answered. "I'm taking Tristan and Téa home. I also figured that once I do, I could show Ash around."

"We can do that," Tristan offered. "We got to see Ash's world, now we can show him ours."

Téa agreed. "If you guys plan on staying in the Pokémon world for a while longer, you can do that. Tristan and I can show Ash and Pikachu around and teach him about our world."

It wouldn't be so easy. Ash and Pikachu were already having so much fun exploring the Secret Garden. Seeing that, everyone agreed that maybe they could take this time exploring this place before visiting another world. "I think maybe Ash and Pikachu can wait," said Max. "It actually may not be a good idea for him to bring Pikachu along considering that Pokémon don't exist in the other worlds. And with Ash being who he is, it may not be so easy to teach him about the other worlds."

Her friends agreed. "But he's still welcome to come here whenever he wants to and he can bring his own friends too," said Yugi. "And when he's ready, we'll show him our world."

When Ash and Pikachu finished exploring the Secret Garden, they rejoined the others. "So what's the plan, guys?"

"We'll be heading back home to our world now," Tristan answered.

"If you ever want to come to our world someday, Ash, just walk though this door," Téa said, showing him the door with the symbol of the Millennium Items. "The door with this symbol will take you to our world. If you want to go back to your world, walk through the door with the Pokéball printed on it."

"Thanks, Téa," said Ash. "It was great meeting you guys. Thanks for coming to our world. And one day, Pikachu and I will come to your world." Pikachu agreed. "I also hope you'll consider coming back and becoming Pokémon trainers."

"We will when we're ready," Téa promised. She shook Ash's hand and petted Pikachu. Tristan did the same thing. After saying 'goodbye', Téa and Tristan walked through the door and found themselves back in Domino City. The rest of the group returned to the Pokémon world and met up with Joey and Emily.


	4. A New Journey in a New Region

A New Journey in a New Region

Ash stayed at the farm for a little while before returning home to his mother. "So, Yugi, are you guys thinking about continuing your Pokémon journey? I'm sure there's a lot of places and Pokémon you want to see."

"I've been thinking about it," he replied.

"We should now that we're all here," Joey told him.

Ash got an idea. "If you haven't seen the Kanto Region yet, you should. The trainers are tough and so are the gym leaders. I've even got some friends in Kanto who'd be thrilled to meet you."

Joey gave it some thought. "Why not? We're already here in the Kanto Region. We should begin a new journey here."

Emily wanted to begin a new journey, but she couldn't neglect the Eevee. "But I have to stay and manage the farm and take care of the Eevee."

Max got an idea. "I'm sure Professor Oak could handle things for you if you asked him." So everyone headed to the Pokémon lab to talk to Professor Oak.

The Professor welcomed his guests and heard them out. He agreed with Ash that it would be a grand idea to explore the Kanto Region and see many new Pokémon, but he also understood Emily's situation about not being able to manage things at the farm if she was away.

His assistant, Tracey, came by and said, "You don't have to worry about a thing, Emily. I can take care of the Eevee for you."

Emily wasn't sure. "There are dozens of Eevee and the outskirts are pretty far."

"It's not a big deal," Tracey insisted. He had been helping Professor Oak tend to the many Pokémon at the laboratory and figured it would be no different handling the Eevee at the farm. Besides, Tracey and Professor Oak had been taking care of the Eevee back when the farm was under construction, so the Pokémon trusted them. Thinking about it gave Emily some reassurance.

Meanwhile, the boys were playing with some of the Pokémon. They were the three Pokémon beginner trainers could choose from when starting a Pokémon journey. There was a Bulbasaur, a grass-type Pokémon, Charmander, a fire-type Pokémon, and Squirtle, a water-type Pokémon.

Professor Oak saw the boys and the Pokémon getting along playfully. "You know, if you boys would like, you can take those Pokémon as your own."

"Are you sure, Professor?" Yugi asked.

"Certainly, Yugi. Those Pokémon already seem to like you."

Yugi saw that he was right. And once a Pokémon likes a trainer, they choose to be their companions. Yugi decided to take Squirtle as his partner since he chose a grass-type Pokémon last time. Joey wanted Charmander, but Kaiba already picked him, leaving the blonde with Bulbasaur. Not that it bothered Joey. He and Bulbasaur were getting along anyway. There were no more Pokémon left to choose from, but Emily didn't mind. She agreed to stick with her team of Eevee-lutions for the moment. Max agreed and decided to stick with her own party as well.

Before returning to the farm, Ash asked the heroes if they wanted to stay at his house for dinner. Yugi and his friends kindly accepted and followed him. His mother, Delia, didn't mind the company. She loved it whenever Ash had friends over. In fact, she loved every time she had with her only son and would spend it every chance she got. Since Ash was a Pokémon trainer and always traveling, Delia didn't see him a lot and thought about her boy every day.

Even Delia knew about the champions of Duel Monsters and was just as honored and thrilled to meet every one of them. She happily welcomed them as guests and said she made plenty for everyone to eat.

After dinner, Yugi and his friends went back to their world to gather their essentials for the journey, then returned to the rescue farm. Yugi and Emily were looking up at the stars in the sky. "It feels good to be back here," said Emily. "I've missed being a Pokémon trainer."

Yugi agreed. "And there's still so much more of this world to see. Besides, it's nice to have a break and go on an adventure just for fun. We can also go home any time we want to."

Emily sighed, then began thinking about Max. "But is Max really up for it? I mean, after what happened back in the world of the Sailor Scouts-,"

"I think a Pokémon adventure might be good for her," Yugi suggested. "It might make her feel a little better."

Emily figured he was right. Maybe a Pokémon journey would be good for her and help her take her mind off of past events. She looked up at the sky again. "You know, Yugi, maybe the Dark Lord isn't as evil as we think he may be."

Yugi sat up and asked, "Why would you think that?"

She decides to get what's on her mind off her chest. "I think maybe throughout our adventures, he's been doing a lot more good for us than harm. I mean, the reason we took the mission of going to these new worlds was to find and gather the shards of the Cobalt Star. Sure, there have been a lot of bad times as well as good times, times when we've cried as well as laughed. But through it all, we've made so many new friends and learned so many new things. These journeys really have tested us, Yugi. Now we have new reasons for exploring these new worlds. Really, I think the Dark Lord wants to help us more than he wants to hurt us.

"When I look back on our battle with Fiore, Cobalt brought him and Max back together so Fiore could learn what the true meaning of friendship was all about and that every person is special to someone. Granted, we learned some important lessons on the same thing, but it was serious for all of us. And you remember what Arceus said when we first came to this world; Millennia and Cobalt used to be friends before they let their differences get the better of them and turn them into enemies. And look at us. Max may be one of our fiercest rivals, but she's also one of our dearest friends, regardless of her being a servant to the Dark Lord and us being followers of Millennia. We don't let that make any difference." Emily stops for a minute, then finishes by saying, "I guess what I'm thinking is, maybe underneath all those bitter feelings, Millennia and Cobalt want to be friends again."

Yugi was amazed at what he was hearing. It was still a lot to take in considering how it was a lot for someone to think about. But something inside of him was telling him to agree. As stars, Millennia and Cobalt had lived in the hearts of their children for many years and had been with them on their journeys. Was it possible they were learning the same things their children were learning? Would it help them remember their friendship? The only way to know for sure was to keep traveling new worlds and finding the rest of the Cobalt Star shards. That was what Yugi decided to tell Emily.

Glad to have gotten her thoughts off her chest, Emily agrees and heads to the barn to get ready for bed. After brushing her teeth and tying her hair back, she heads back outside only to see that Yugi is already asleep. To her, this was precious. Seeing Yugi sleep so soundly made him look like a child. Carefully, she crept over to him, gently kissed his cheek and whispered, "I love you." and climbed into her own sleeping bag.

But Yugi hadn't gone to sleep just yet. Keeping still so she wouldn't see, he opened his eyes and softly sighed.

Early the next morning, Yugi and his friends got up and started getting ready. They also noticed that Max was already gone. Well, she did say she wanted to go on her own journey, so it came to no surprise that she would get a head start. Before beginning their journey, the heroes decided to pay a visit to Professor Oak so they could discuss what Pokémon to bring with them. Already, the boys had their starter Pokémon they got yesterday and they even decided to have their own Eevee. So that meant that they each had two Pokémon. Since trainers were only permitted to bring six Pokémon on their journey, they had to choose who to bring along and who to leave in the professor's care.

On the way, Joey began singing. _I wanna be the very best like no one ever was_

_To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause_

_I will travel across the land searching far and wide_

_Each Pokémon to understand the power that's inside_

His friends sang, _Pokémon! Gotta catch 'em all!_

_It's you and me,_ continued Joey, _I know it's my destiny, Pokémon!_

_Oh, you're my best friend in a world we must defend_

_Pokémon! Gotta catch 'em all!_ His friends repeated.

_A heart so true,_ continued Joey, _our courage will pull us through_

_You teach me and I'll teach you, Pokémon! Gotta catch 'em all!_

Emily took her turn and began singing, _Every challenge along the way, with courage, I will face_

_I will battle every day to claim my rightful place_

_Come with me, the time is right. There's no better team_

_On and on, we'll win the fight. It's always been a dream_

The song continued until they came to the laboratory. The boys were ready to acquire their Pokémon. While Emily already had her team organized, she still needed to get a new Pokédex and verify her credentials so she could register to compete for the Kanto league.

For the boys, it was a little hard to decide what Pokémon to bring along. After some consideration, they finally made their decisions. Joey decided to bring along Ampharos, Feraligatr, and Phanpy. Kaiba decided to bring along Golbat, Pupitar, Seadra, and Houndoom. Yugi decided to bring along Meganium and Noctowl. Finally, the heroes decided they were ready to head out. Professor Oak wished everybody good luck and Tracey promised he would take care of things on the farm.


	5. Into the Thick of it

Into the Thick of it

Kaiba checked the map and told his friends that the first town they would be heading to was Viridian City. That was where they decided to go. With the excitement of beginning a new Pokémon journey, they all just had to sing.

_On the road to Viridian City,_ they all cried.

_We've been a team and we've been training all day long,_ Emily sang.

_We're on the road and getting strong_

_Now here's the plan: we're gonna head down to the forest_

_Time to collect some Pokémon_

Together, everybody sang, _We keep on trying, then we try some more_

_To stay together and find a place worth fighting for_

_I'm on the road to Viridian City_

_Meet my friends along the way_

_I've got a badge and the power to play_

_Viridian City! _They all cheered.

_We left our home and now we see a new horizon_, Yugi was singing.

_But one day, we'll come back to Pallet Town_

_We're on the road to become the greatest trainers_

_And we won't quit until we're number one_

_We keep on trying, then we try some more_

_To stay together and find a place worth fighting for_

Everyone continued singing until they found themselves in reach of Viridian City. The journey was surprisingly quicker than they thought. Now that they were here, they could stop for lunch and plan the next move.

There was a gym in Viridian City, but Emily couldn't challenge the gym leader yet. Pokémon league standards strictly said that trainers had to accumulate seven gym badges before challenging the gym leader. To Kaiba, this was absurd. Viridian City was the first town to stop at on the map, but the gym wasn't the first to be challenged according to regulations. As unfair and ridiculous as it sounded, regulations are still regulations. For now, the team would just press on to Pewter City. To get there, they had to pass through Viridian Forest.

Everyone had to be careful because the forest was dense and filled with bug-type Pokémon. Suddenly, a bird Pokémon called Pidgey swooped down and began striking a swarm of bug Pokémon called Weedle. Like ordinary animals, birds feed on worms and caterpillars. It was the same principle for Pokémon. Yugi wasn't going to stand for it. He ran towards Pidgey and tried to shoo her away. Pidgey left the Weedle, but she stood in front of Yugi taking a battle stance.

If it was a fight Pidgey wanted, it was a fight she was going to get. Yugi tossed his Pokéball and called on Eevee. Pidgey made the first move by flapping her wings and throwing sand in Eevee's face. After getting most of the sand off, Eevee used his Swift attack and launched shining stars towards Pidgey. She tried to dodge, but managed to get hit by the stars. Yugi wasted no more time and tossed his Pokéball to catch her. The ball rotated for a few times, then the center glowed red, signaling that the capture was a success.

Yugi raised the ball and cheered triumphantly. "All right! I caught my first Kanto Pokémon!"

"Way to go, Yuge," Joey said in congratulations.

Emily approached the Weedle. "It's okay, you guys. Pidgey's gone. You're safe now." The Weedle poked their heads out above the grass and saw that the coast was clear and began crawling back up the tree. As they did, Emily noticed something amazing. One of the Weedle was actually a golden Caterpie. This was amazing because Cateripie were usually bright green, but this one was light gold like the color of Emily's hair. "Caterpie, wait," Emily called. She stopped and gave Emily her attention. "Battle with me."

At first, Caterpie wasn't sure. These humans did save her and now she owed them, but the thought of battling didn't seem like an adequate way to repay them. Nonetheless, she accepted Emily's challenge.

"Go for it, Em," Joey encouraged. "You can do it."

Emily nods and tosses her Pokéball to call on Luna. She charged in for a Quick Attack, but Caterpie stopped her by using String Shot. Luna couldn't move anymore now that she was all tied up, but she could still attack from afar by means of swift. Caterpie couldn't defend herself and ended up taking some damage. Quickly, Emily tossed her Pokéball to capture Caterpie. As the ball rotated, Emily held her breath and crossed her fingers. Finally, the center glowed red.

At first, Emily's laughter came out sounding nervous, but changed into excitement. "I did it," she chuckled. "I caught a golden Caterpie!" she cheered. But the ball quickly shrank down to pocket size. "Uh-oh."

"What's the matter, Em?" Joey asked.

"The problem is Briar can't carry any more Pokémon since she already has six," Kaiba explained. He faces Emily and tells her, "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to send that golden Caterpie back to Professor Oak."

Emily saw that he was right. She savored the victory for as long as she could and the Pokéball made its way to Professor Oak's lab. "When we get to the next town, I'll call Professor Oak and make arrangements to have Breezy sent back to me."

"Breezy?" Joey asked in confusion.

"That's what I decided to name Caterpie," she replied.

Yugi chuckled in amusement. Sometimes he wondered where she came up with these names for her Pokémon, but didn't mind. "It'll still take some time to get out of the forest. In fact, it's already starting to get late."

"All right then," Kaiba was saying. "We'll set up camp here." Everyone agreed and began getting things ready. There was no river nearby, but the heroes still had bottled water. Yugi and Kaiba found some dead branches for firewood and Joey began cutting up some cooked meat and vegetables. After starting the fire, Joey placed the kettle over it and mixed the water with the broth and meat and vegetables. For desert, Emily brought some slices of her homemade pecan pie.

After dinner, everyone washed the dishes as best as they could, unfolded their sleeping bags, and drifted off to sleep. This really was an exciting first day. The heroes came so far in one day and already obtained new Pokémon. And wouldn't you know it? One of them turned out to be a different color. What other exciting events would await the heroes? They would find out in due time. For now, they would just dream.


	6. Rock and Roll

Rock and Roll

It still took some time for the heroes to make it out of Viridian Forest. It wasn't easy with all of the dangerous insect-type Pokémon swarming in and ambushing the heroes, but they made it out safely and were in reach of Pewter City.

When they got to the Pokémon Center, Emily called Professor Oak and decided to send Luna over in exchange for the golden Caterpie. Professor Oak wanted a little more time, but he could clearly see that Emily was anxious to have her new Pokémon. So the exchange was made.

"Let me see it, Em," Joey requested. "I want to see it again."

With Pokéball in hand, Emily called on her Pokémon and the golden Caterpie emerged. "Hi there. How are you today?" she softly asked.

"Just fine, thank you," the golden Caterpie replied. "And good afternoon to you too."

Emily giggled. "I just know we're going to be good friends. I'll call you Breezy from now on, okay?"

"I like the sound of that," she replied, and began climbing on Emily's shoulder.

"It's awesome," said Joey.

Kaiba shrugged and figured, "It's impressive, I suppose. But looks aren't everything. It's what's inside that counts. A Pokémon of a different color is rare to come by, but in the end, it's how the trainer raises it that matters most of all."

"That's true," said Emily. "But I'll do my best to take care of Breezy."

"I hope you don't plan on using her in your battle against the gym leader," Kaiba warned. "Bug-type Pokémon don't stand against rock-type Pokémon."

"Oh, don't worry," Emily assured him. "I've got my team organized."

"Do you still have Undine?" Yugi asked. "She could be very helpful."

"I do," she answered. "I know what I'll be up against, so I decided to hold on her. But I can't depend on her alone, so I've got to think about who else to battle with."

Joey got an idea. "We'll discuss that later. For now, let's have lunch. You can't battle on an empty stomach, right?" That was agreeable. They also needed to stock up on supplies, so they decided to go shopping after lunch and before the gym battle.

After some consideration, Emily decided which Pokémon to battle with. She and the boys found themselves standing in front of the Pewter gym. "Who goes there?" a voice asked. Kaiba gasped in shocked and covered his mouth because the voice sounded like his.

Emily took a step forward. "My name is Emily Briar and I've come to challenge the leader of this gym."

"Did you say Emily Briar?" the voice asked. It belonged to the gym leader, Brock. He changed from grim to enthusiastic as he approached the group. "It really _is_ you! I recognize that beautiful voice from watching you duel on television. I also know your beautiful features anywhere. Those shimmering blue eyes that shine like sapphire, that light blonde hair shining like sunlight, you truly _are_ Emily Briar the Rainbow Duelist! And your name truly matches your beauty. A radiant flower, an elegant princess like Briar Rose come to life!"

Brock's enthusiasm was making Emily feel uneasy. The boys weren't taking too kindly about it either. "Are you done?" Emily asked.

He wasn't quite finished. "My dear, please forgive my manners. I would be honored to have a battle with you. But perhaps you could also honor me with a romantic lunch."

"I beg your pardon?" Emily asked.

"Geez," Joey shuddered. "If Max got here before us, no denying she got the same gesture Brock is expressing to Emily right now."

Brock heard him and replied, "I did meet Max. Marvelous Max, I must say. The wonderful duelist who battles with grace and style, the celebrity whose voice is like an angel. That girl was one tough cookie, but it was an honor and a thrill to battle her."

"To think," Joey was telling Kaiba, "you guys share the same voice actor."

"That may be," Kaiba replied, "but Brock and I are still two very different people."

Brock didn't forget about the boys. "I've heard about you guys too, the famous champions of Duel Monsters: Yugi Muto, Joey Wheeler, and Seto Kaiba. When Ash and Professor Oak told me you guys were traveling through the Kanto Region, I almost didn't believe them. But then Max came and challenged me and now here you all are."

"Ash has told us about you too," Yugi was saying. "You guys used to travel together." As he shook hands with Brock, Yugi noticed a Keystone on his bracelet. "Hey, that's a Keystone."

"Yeah, and I see that you guys have your own Keystones too," said Brock.

Yugi started to feel nervous. _If Brock has a Keystone, I'm sure he plans on tapping into the power of Mega Evolution. Emily's going to have to be careful._

"So, Emily," Brock was saying, "do you want to have a battle now or lunch first?"

"I already ate, thank you," she replied. "But I'm ready to battle."

The rules of the battle were simple. Both challengers would use two Pokémon and the match would be over when both Pokémon on either side would be unable to continue battling. Brock tossed his Pokéball and called on Forretress, a steel and bug-type Pokémon. Emily decided to start with Salamando. Salamando had the type advantage, but Forretress could still use its hard body to deal serious physical damage. Emily warned Salamando to be careful.

Forretress was coming in fast with Rapid Spin. Salamando charged in using Flare Blitz. Forretress took in a great deal of damage, but Salamado took in almost as much by coming into contact with Forretress and receiving recoil damage. Forretress was preparing to charge in again, but Salamando stopped him with Flamethrower. Forretress was defeated.

Brock chose Steelix as his next Pokémon. Like Jasmine's Steelix, this one was wearing a Steelixite that would enable him to Mega Evolve. Emily saw that Salamando was looking beat, but he assured her he could keep going. He had beaten Steelix before and he was confident he could do it again. Emily had a bad feeling, but she trusted her Pokémon.

Salamando attacked with Flamethrower, but Steelix evaded the attack and coiled around him to use a Bind attack. Salamando tried to launch another Flamethrower, but his attack was weakened due to Steelix's tight grip. Finally, Steelix released Salamando so he could breathe. But by taking a few seconds to catch his breath, Steelix ran him hard with a Tackle and hit him hard against the stones in the arena. Salamando was no longer able to battle.

It was up to Undine now. Emily sent her to take her brother's place after calling him back.

Brock grinned and said, "I admire your spirit as a trainer, Emily, I really do. I can even see that you share a strong bond with your Pokémon. But I still have my honor and pride as a gym leader and I say it's time to take this match to the next level." He raised his arm and placed his fingertips against his Keystone to invoke its power, enabling Steelix to Mega Evolve.

Undine gritted her teeth and shuddered.

"Don't worry, Undine," Emily encouraged. "If your brother can defeat a Mega Evolved Steelix, you can too."

"Don't be so sure," Brock taunted. "Not many challengers have defeated my Steelix; especially when it's Mega Evolved."

"If Max can do it, Undine and I can do it," Emily replied.

"Then let's go," Brock cried.

Now that Steelix Mega Evolved, he was stronger and faster. But Undine was slick and able to escape with ease. She was able to leap and slide on Steelix like he was a wet floor. It was both ticklish and painful for Steelix because since he was a ground-type, he still didn't like water. He also couldn't tell where Undine was coming from or where she was going since she was so slick. Finally, she launched her Hydro Pump attack and landed a direct hit. Steelix fell in defeat and reverted back to his original form.

Brock wasn't too sad that he lost. After seeing what Emily and her Pokémon were capable of, he knew she was the real deal and he was honored to have gotten the challenge to face her in a Pokémon battle. "That was a great battle, Emily. I was right, you and Max are really something special." He holds out his hand and presents her with the Boulder badge. "As proof of your victory in the Pewter gym and for an amazing battle, I'm proud to present this badge to you. You've earned it."

"Thank you, Brock," said Emily. She raises her badge and cheers triumphantly.

"I suppose you'll be heading to Cerulean City for your next gym battle," Brock wondered.

"That's right," Emily answered.

"Well, then I've got a great friend who'll be happy to meet you guys. Good luck on your journey, Emily. And, Yugi, Joey, Kaiba, I'd like to have a battle with you guys too, someday."

"We'll hold you to it," said Kaiba.

"And if you're ever back in Pallet Town, be sure to check out the Eevee rescue farm," said Emily.

Brock liked the sound of that. "Hey, if you guys ever run into Ash again, give him my regards. I also hope you and Max will do your best on your journeys too, Emily."

"Thanks, Brock," Emily said again. "Hey, since we're friends now," then she reaches into her bag and takes out her camera. "Would it be all right if I took your picture? I'm sure we'll meet again, but it's for my journey."

"No problem," he answered. Delighted, Emily took his picture. Brock's image developed perfectly and Emily taped the picture next to Ash's and wrote Brock's name on the photo.

When the heroes left the gym, they saw that it was getting dark. They decided to spend the night at the Pokémon Center and head out in the morning.


	7. Moonlight Night

Moonlight Night

To get to Cerulean City, the heroes had to pass through Mt. Moon. Before they could begin their trek, Emily asked her friends to battle her. She needed to get her Pokémon ready for her next gym battle. Since the gym leader specialized in using water-type Pokémon, the boys decided to battle with their own water-type Pokémon.

Kaiba decided to be Emily's first opponent. The Pokémon he chose was Seadra. Emily chose Undine as her first Pokémon. It was a good choice considering how she took into account that the battlefield will have a pool for the Pokémon to swim in. Both Pokémon dived into the lake. Seadra launched his Smokescreen attack, but Undine dived into the water to evade it and began swimming around Seadra. He began using Twister to create a whirlpool. Undine tried to fight the current, but it was too strong for her. She came to the surface and launched her Aurora Beam towards Seadra. He escaped the attack and charged right into Undine, knocking her out.

Emily got Undine out of the water so she could tend to her. Kaiba approached her and said, "Battling in water is different from battling on land. Use the water to your advantage. You may not be able to see what's happening, but Undine will be able to see her opponent if she swims with them. There'll be surprises for you, but not your Pokémon."

He approaches his Seadra and gently pets him. He also reaches into his pocket and holds out the Dragon Scale that Clair gave him. "We've been traveling together for a long time, Seadra. You've gotten quite strong on the way. If you want to evolve, all you have to do is touch this. But I want that to be based on your decision. Whatever you decide, I'll respect it."

Seadra looks at the Dragon Scale for a minute, then touches it. Now he was evolving into Kingdra. "Very nice," Kaiba said proudly.

His friends congratulated him for Seadra evolving into Kingdra. It was also time for the next battle. Yugi decided to be Emily's next opponent. He chose his Squirtle. Emily chose Sylphid. Yugi knew he was at a disadvantage, but he was going to give it his best. Squirtle launched his Water Gun while Sylphid launched his Thunderbolt. To reduce the damage, Squirlte tucked into his shell by means of Withdraw, raising his defense. Sylphid tried another Thunderbolt attack, but Squirtle evaded using Rapid Spin. He was spinning circles around Sylphid, making him dizzy. Finally, Squirtle charged in and used his strength to topple Sylphid over. He also used his Water Gun to deal the last blow.

"Remember, Emily, you can use a Pokémon's speed as well as their strength," Yugi was telling her. "They'll be moving a lot faster in the water. When they do, you'll need to look where you Pokémon can't."

"Yes, be Sylphid's eyes," she said, trying to understand. Sylphid couldn't see underwater the same way his sister could. And while he may be the fastest of his siblings, the downside of being agile is not always be able to watch his surroundings. The lesson in this was to keep up and always keep your eyes open. And like she learned on her first day in the Xiaolin Temple: It's not your weight; it's how you throw it around.

Emily wanted Breezy to take a chance at battling. She could actually be very helpful. Joey accepted and chose Eevee as his Pokémon. Eevee charged in for a Quick Attack, but Breezy used her String Shot to shoot silk in his face. Blinded, Eevee tried to slow himself down, but ended up tumbling over. He managed to get back on his feet. While he was trying to get the silk off, Breezy used her String Shot to tie his legs together. Eevee tried to chase after her, but ended up falling over once again. She also used her Tackle attack, but it turned out to be a gentle push.

Eevee was tied up, just not unable to battle. Suddenly, Breezy began showering herself in her own String Shot. When she finished, everyone saw that she had evolved into Metapod. Metapod were usually green like the leaves on a tree, but Breezy's color was a mix of red and orange. Now that she had evolved into Metapod, her defenses had increased as well.

That was enough battling for now. The heroes decided to get back on the road and begin their trek through Mt. Moon. It's said that long ago, a meteorite crashed at the summit of the mountain. But this was no ordinary meteorite. It carried the same evolutionary power as the Moon Stone. During the night of the full moon, fairy-type Pokémon called Cleffa, Clefairy, and Clefable perform a ceremony of prayer around the Moon Stone. It looked like the heroes had arrived just in time because as they were getting higher on the mountain, the Pokémon were scaling with them.

The ceremony was about to begin as the Cleffa were placing smaller Moon Stones around the meteorite. The light of the full moon reflected on the meteorite, making it shine. As the Pokémon began to dance around and pray, particles of the meteorite came into contact with the Clefairy, making them evolve into Clefable.

As fascinating as the ceremony was, Emily couldn't forget her timely schedule of the full moon. In a trance, she began approaching the meteorite. The Pokémon stopped dancing and respectfully allowed her to pass. They could sense a great power coming from her and decided to let her attend to her own business. Under the light of the full moon, Emily released the Millennium Star from her heart and sent it into the heavens. The Pokémon were watching in amazement.

"Do you think Pokémon make wishes just like people," Joey wondered.

"There's no reason why they can't or shouldn't," Yugi answered. "Pokémon have hopes and dreams like we do."

"Perhaps," Kaiba was saying, "but they don't realize that this is a time when wishes come true. We can only hope they don't intend to make a wish on the Millennium Star," he said quietly.

With Emily plunged into a deep sleep, the heroes had no choice but to spend the night with the Cleffa, Clefairy, and Clefable. The Pokémon didn't mind and permitted them to stay.

Seeing Emily sleep so soundly made Yugi smile and sigh affectionately. She truly was a sleeping beauty in his eyes. He decided to return the gesture by kissing her cheek. "I love you too," he whispered.

"I saw that," Joey said teasingly. "I also saw her do the same thing to you back on the farm."

"Mm-hmm," Yugi nodded. "I pretended to sleep because I knew it was the way to get her to do it." He looks back at her and continues. "I know she loves me. Sometimes I wonder if she knows I do because I know she knows I love her too."

"That's a bit of a head spinner," said Joey. "Hey, when you guys talk to each other, what do you normally talk about if not romance?"

"We talk about anything, like all friends normally do," Yugi answered. "We both know we have feelings for each other, so there's really nothing more to add to that. But I think the best part of our conversations is when she confides in me."

Joey's eyes widen a little. "For her to do that, she must really trust you."

"Well, I trust her to be honest with me," Yugi replied. "Besides, to better understand someone, you have to listen to them speak what's on their mind. When Emily needs to get something off of her chest, I'm willing to hear her out and help in any way I can. Sure, I may ask questions, but that'll help me better understand."

"I see," Joey said. He began thinking about Max and wondered if she ever confided in anyone. Granted, she was clear in keeping her personal matters to herself, but she wasn't too reserved. And while she did trust Yugi and the others, she never really confided in any of them. He stopped thinking about her for a second and got back on the topic. "What about you, Yuge? Do you confide in Emily?"

"Almost all the time," he answered. "I worry about her and want her to be okay. And if I need to discuss something personal with her, I make sure I'm able to. To hear her promise me that I can tell her anything helps me to trust that I really can. If she didn't care about me, she wouldn't make such a promise or even want to hear me out."

Joey could clearly see that the love between Yugi and Emily was strong. They had known each other for a long time. It wasn't surprising that they understood and trusted each other. "Well, we'd better get some sleep. Tomorrow we head to Cerulean City."

"Right," Yugi said, climbing into his sleeping bag. He looked at Emily for one last second, then looked up at the moon. _Sailor Moon was right_, he thought to himself. _The moonlight night_ is _the messenger of love._

At dawn, the Millennium Star started coming back down from the sky, making its way back inside Emily's heart. When it did, she started waking up. It was the start of a beautiful morning and she decided to share it with her Pokémon. Everyone yawned and stretched as they came out of their Pokéballs. "Good morning, everyone," she said softly.

"Good morning, Emily," Breezy answered. "What's going on?"

She picked her up and said, "I've got something great to show you guys." And began leading her Pokémon out of the cave. They all came outside to see a beautiful sunrise. The dark night sky was brightening up as the sun was coming out. "What a beautiful sunrise." Her Pokémon agreed.

Suddenly, Breezy started glowing in Emily's arms. It wasn't the light of the sun reflecting on her; she was evolving. From the Metapod's shell emerged a Butterfree; a pink Butterfree. "Incredible," gasped Emily. The rest of her Pokémon were amazed. She ran back inside calling her friends. "Yugi, Joey, Kaiba," she cried. "Get up! You've really got to see this!"

Joey woke up to her cries. "Emily," he groaned. "What time is it?"

"What's going on?" Yugi asked.

"Come on, get up," Emily cried again.

"Take it easy, Briar," Kaiba groaned, rubbing his eyes. "Where's the fire?"

"Breezy evolved," she answered. "You've got to see her!"

When her friends saw the pink Butterfree following her, they became more alert. "A pink Butterfree," gasped Joey. "Just like the one on television!"

Yugi laughed with joy and said, "I never thought I'd live to see one! She's so beautiful!"

Kaiba inspected Breezy. "She _is_ a female," he said, looking at her wings. "See these black spots on her bottom wings? Only females have those while a male's wings are silver all over."

"That's right," said Yugi. "Way to go, Breezy." The Butterfree cried happily. To celebrate, everyone had a bountiful breakfast of pancakes with fresh fruit and cold milk. Emily gave Breezy some sliced oranges as a treat. The rest of the Pokemon had their favorite berries mixed with their food as well.

After breakfast, everyone began climbing down the mountain, back on the road to Cerulean City.


	8. The Water Flowers of Cerulean City

The Water Flowers of Cerulean City

At last, the heroes arrived in Cerulean City. Before going to challenge the gym leader, Emily stopped at the Pokémon Center to get her Pokémon treated so they would be in top condition. "Excuse me, Nurse Joy, but could you please take care of my Pokémon? I hope to challenge the Cerulean gym and I want to make sure everyone is in good condition to battle."

"Certainly," Nurse Joy answered cheerfully. "I would be happy to look at your Pokémon." She took them from the front desk and into the clinic.

"You're going to challenge the gym?" a voice asked.

Emily turned around and saw a girl with red orange hair tied up at her side. She also had sea green eyes and was dressed in a sleeveless yellow shirt with jean shorts held with red suspenders. She also wore a bracelet containing a Keystone. "Yes, I am. And I don't suppose you would be Misty, the gym leader?"

"I sure am," she replied. "And I don't suppose you would be Emily Briar?"

"I am," Emily answered. "How did you guess?"

"I've heard a lot about you from my friends. They said you would be coming to town for a gym battle, so I've been expecting you and your friends." Misty looked around. "Aren't they here with you?"

"They're in the lobby waiting for me," Emily answered.

Misty was actually waiting for her Pokémon to be treated too after her last battle. Then she got an idea. "Hey, Emily, while you're waiting for your Pokémon to be treated, why don't I treat you and your friends to lunch?"

Emily liked the sound of that. "Thanks, Misty. I'd like that. Come on and I'll introduce you." So the girls headed to the lobby where the boys were waiting. "Misty, I'd like you to meet my friends Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba."

Misty's excitement began to build up. She was meeting the champions of Duel Monsters in the flesh. She turned away and smiled slyly. _My sisters will be so jealous when they hear I've met the Duel Monsters champions and one of them is challenging me to a battle_, she thought to herself.

"Hi, Misty," Yugi said, shaking her hand. "We've heard a lot about you from Ash and Brock."

"They've told me a lot about you guys too," Misty returned. "They said you guys own a rescue farm for lost and abandoned Eevee on the outskirts of Pallet Town."

Emily nods and says, "I know you have your duties as a gym leader, but when you get a chance, you should stop by and check it out. If you'd like, I'd even be happy to let you adopt an Eevee of your own."

"I think I'd like that," Misty replied. She would make sure to return to Pallet Town to see the farm.

While they were having lunch, Misty and the others continued talking and getting to know each other. It didn't surprise her to hear that Brock got all charismatic in his strange way and she apologized to Emily for that. It actually didn't bother her. Emily was used to this demeanor back home. Then the thought occurred to her. "Misty, I don't suppose a girl named Max would have challenged you earlier."

Misty thought about it. "Come to think of it, I did battle a girl named Max a few days ago. After our battle, she told me she figured you guys would be coming here and she told me to give you a message, Emily."

"What kind of message?"

Misty clears her throat and says, "Max said if I ever saw you, she wanted me to tell you not to give up and she'll be waiting to battle you again."

"She really said that?" Emily wondered.

Even the boys were a little impressed. "I guess she can be encouraging in her own way," said Kaiba.

Misty grins and warns Emily, "But make no mistake, Emily. As a gym leader, I plan to battle you with everything I have and win. I am pretty tough."

"I don't doubt it, Misty," Emily returned. "I'll face you with everything I have as well."

"Good, let's both do our best and have a great battle," Misty said, and she and Emily shook hands. "We should probably head back to the Pokémon Center and see how our Pokémon are doing."

"Good idea," Emily agreed. After paying the bill, the girls returned to the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy finished the exams and told the girls that their Pokémon were doing very well. Now they could head to the Cerulean gym.

"I'll meet you at the arena in a while," Misty promised Emily. "I have to get ready for our battle."

"Okay," said Emily. "I'll wait for you." And the girls took separate paths as they entered the lobby.

When the team came to the arena, they saw that all of the seats were filled with spectators. There wasn't a battle going on. It was a performance. There was an announcement that the Sensational Cerulean City Synchronized Swimming Sisters were performing. The spotlights shined on three girls. One had golden blonde hair with a pink flower in it and was wearing a red dress, another had rose pink hair tied at her sides and was wearing an orange dress, and the last had dark blue hair that was wavy like her sister's and she was wearing a dark green dress. The girls dived into the pool and began swimming in sync.

"Is this an arena or a theatre?" Kaiba asked. "Misty said this was the place where you would be battling."

"It is," said Joey. "Let's just say there's more than meets the eye about this place." Yugi agreed.

"Maybe we should head back to the lobby," Emily suggested. "This show may take a while."

They waited for an hour until the three girls came by. "Are you today's challenger?" they asked Emily.

"I am," she answered.

"Misty's ready for you now," said the eldest. "We'll escort you to the arena." So everyone got up and headed to the arena.

"Hey, guys," Misty called to the heroes. "Sorry you had to wait so long. I didn't realize the show would take this long, but my sisters just love to perform," she groaned, rolling her eyes.

Kaiba was surprised. "Your sisters?"

"That's right," said the blonde girl. "I'm her older sister, Daisy."

"I'm Lily, her other sister," said the girl with the rose pink hair.

"And I'm Violet, her last sister," the girl with the blue hair introduced.

Together, they announced, "And we're the three Sensational Sisters!"

"Hey," Misty cried, annoyed. "What about me?"

"Oh, you're a sister, Misty, you're just not sensational like we are," Lily remarked smugly. Misty growled in annoyance. She always hated when her elder sisters thought less of her and made fun of her. Daisy, Lily, and Violet always prided themselves on being the most beautiful of the family and enjoyed tormenting Misty by saying she wasn't beautiful.

"However," Daisy was saying, looking at Emily, "You have a very beautiful opponent, Sis. I think she's even more beautiful than that freaky Max."

"I'd hate to admit it," Violet was saying, "but I think her beauty surpasses even ours. I mean, look at this hair and these eyes. And her clothes are, like, so good on her."

Emily was starting to feel disgusted. "Cut it out!" she snapped. "I didn't come here to be smothered and pampered with. I'm not a doll, you know."

"Well, excuse us for admiring you," Lily snapped.

"It could totally be worse," Daisy assured her sister.

"I think that Max freak was worse," Violet commented. "She was, like, such a snob and so loud."

Now Joey was the one losing it. "Max is not a freak! She's our friend, understand? And we don't have time for your girly antics and childish behavior."

Kaiba was in agreement. "You girls are completely immature. All you care about is looks and showing off. At least your youngest sister here has more brains and responsibility than you. It's no wonder she got to be in charge of being a gym leader."

"Thank you, Kaiba," Misty said appreciatively. It was true. Daisy, Lily, and Violet used to be gym leaders, but got sick of the job after losing so many times. So they instead took to performing and let Misty take the job since she had more fighting spirit.

"Excuse me," Lily said again. "Who do you think you are?"

"You seriously don't know?" Joey asked. "We're the champions of Duel Monsters."

When the sisters realized who they were talking to, their attitude changed and they started getting all flirtatious with the boys. At the same time, the girls envied Misty for meeting them before they did.

It was just a common family thing. Just like Daisy, Lily, and Violet took pleasure in tormenting their youngest sister and thinking less of her, Misty would look for ways to make her older sisters jealous.

"Come on, Emily. Let's give our audience a great battle." Emily agreed and she and Misty took their places on the arena.

The rules were simple. Just like back Pewter City, both trainers would use two Pokémon and the match would be over when both Pokémon on either side would be unable to continue battling. Misty and Emily promised to give each other a fair fight, but that didn't mean they would go easy on each other. From the sidelines, the boys cheered for Misty and Emily to both do their best.

Of course, Daisy, Lily, and Violet had some good ways of expressing love to their youngest sister. They would always watch from the sidelines and cheer Misty on. But this time, they secretly hoped that Misty would lose.

Misty chose Corsola as her first Pokémon and Emily chose Sylphid. Corsola made the first move by using her Spike Cannon attack, launching sharps spikes towards Sylphid. He dodged by diving into the water and started swimming over to Corsola. She got into the water as well and started charging in for an attack. When Corsola got close enough, Sylphid bit down on one of her horns and used Thunder Fang to zap her. He had to be careful, though. Water conducts electricity and Sylphid knew he could take in as much damage as his opponent while he was in the water. Finally, he released her and got back on one of the platforms. Corsola got back on a platform too and began using Recover to replenish her energy. This was Sylphid's chance to land an attack. Knowing Corsola can't move while using Recover, he launches his Thunder attack and lands a direct hit, knocking her out.

Misty praised her Pokémon for her efforts. It was now time for her to use her strongest Pokémon: Gyarados. Looking closely, Emily saw that Gyarados was wearing a brace with a Mega Stone. Although she had battled a Mega Evolved Gyarados before and defeated it in her battle with Clair, Emily had to remember that Misty was a different opponent and would have a different strategy. She was also concerned about Sylphid because his strongest attack took up quite a deal of energy and it would take some time for him to be charged up again before he could use Thunder again, but Sylphid assured his trainer that he could still battle. Trusting in her Pokémon, Emily decides to keep him in the arena.

Even Misty saw that Sylphid didn't have the energy for another powerful electric attack, so she decided to take her chances and hold off on Mega Evolution for a while. Gyarados launched his Dragon Rage attack to try and knock Sylphid off the platform and back into the water. Sylphid didn't have enough room to dodge and therefore had no choice. He had to go back in the water.

Emily got an idea and told Sylphid to go in for a sneak attack by swimming underneath Gyarados. But Misty knew what she was thinking and wouldn't allow her opponent to take that chance. Before Sylphid could get Gyarados' tail in his teeth and use Thunder Fang, Gyarados caught Sylphid in his mouth and tossed him in the air and landed a direct hit with Hydro Pump. Drenched and exhausted, Sylphid was unable to continue.

"Sylphid, are you okay?" Emily asked in concern.

Sylphid coughed up some water and replied, "Yeah, I think so. Sorry, Emily. I tried."

"Don't worry about it, buddy. You did great and you deserve a good rest." She called him back inside his Pokéball. She also blamed herself for pushing Sylphid past his limits. He wasn't a good swimmer like his sister and he didn't have enough power to get charged up to deal some serious damage to Gyarados. Emily looked at the Pokéball in her hand. _It's risky,_ she thought to herself, _but I'm going to take my chance. I'm putting all may faith in you for this last round._ She tossed her Pokéball in the air and called on Breezy as her last Pokémon.

Misty gasped in astonishment. "No way!" Even her sisters were amazed. "I haven't seen a pink Butterfree since… since…" she recollected herself and said, "Never mind that. Let's continue the battle."

Emily understood and agreed. She knew what Misty was thinking about. "Yes, and let's make it count."

"Your Butterfree is an impressive Pokémon," Misty admitted, "but it's my Gyarados who's going to come out victorious; especially now that it's come to this." She raised her arm and placed her fingertips against her Keystone, tapping into the power of Mega Evolution. Now the real battle could begin.

Breezy began flying above the pool in many directions. She tried to release her Stun Spore and Sleep Powder on Gyarados, but he was able to wash himself and stay unaffected by diving under the water. He attacked with Hydro Pump, but Breezy unleashed a strong Gust to blow the water away. The water rained and splashed Misty's sisters and the boys like at an aquatic theme park. Breezy still managed to get a little drenched and the weight of the water on her wings made it difficult for her to stay airborne. As Breezy was coming down, Gyarados was coming up to the surface. Emily cried for Breezy to stay strong. Responding to her trainer's cry of encouragement, Breezy used what strength she had to fiercely flap her wings and unleash a mighty Silver Wind. Gyarados also launched his Dragon Rage and shot Breezy down. He still also took a great deal of damage from that Silver Wind since he was a dark-type Pokémon when Mega Evolved.

When the attacks cleared, both Pokémon fell in defeat. Breezy lied down on the platform, unable to flap her wings and the effects of Mega Evolution wore off for Gyarados.

"I guess it's a draw," said Emily. Misty agreed. Both girls approached their Pokémon to tend to them. Emily gently carried Breezy in her arms while Misty gently rubbed Gyarados and soothed him before calling him back into his Pokéball. "Is Gyarados going to be okay?" Emily asked Misty.

"Gyarados will be just fine," Misty promised. "All he needs is a good, long rest after a tough battle." She was also concerned about Breezy and asked, "But what about your Butterfree?"

"After a tough battle like that," Emily asked. "I think she'll be okay."

Misty agreed. "I did say she was impressive and the way she faced my Gyarados proved it; especially since he was in his Mega Evolved form."

"Thanks, Misty, and your Pokémon were awesome too," Emily returned. "It was a tough battle. It's just a shame neither of us won or lost. So what now?"

Misty reaches into her pocket and presents Emily with a badge shaped like a dewdrop. "I think you deserve this Cascade badge."

"Are you sure, Misty?" Emily asked.

"Absolutely," she answered. "It was an awesome battle and you and your Pokémon fought admirably. It's yours, Emily. Take it," she insisted.

Delighted, Emily takes the badge and cheers in triumph.

Everyone from the sidelines cheered for the great battle the girls displayed. "That was a great battle," said Yugi. "Those girls executed great strategies and played like good sports."

Misty's sisters agreed. "It's too bad Misty lost, but she still did a great job," said Violet.

"Misty was good," Lily admitted, "Emily was just better."

"Well, she was certainly a better opponent than Max," Daisy commented.

"And did you see that Butterfree?" Violet asked. "It's fitting; a beautiful Pokémon for a beautiful girl."

Misty and Emily laughed at what the girls were saying. "I hope you won't let your sisters comments get to you," said Emily. "To be honest, I don't like to gloat about my beauty. Besides, I think you're pretty too and we both played admirably."

Misty wasn't offended at all. "It's okay, Emily. My sisters are right about your Pokémon being beautiful. And we both did good. Besides, I'm used to their comments, so I don't mind too much." It was true. No matter how annoyed Misty was by her sisters' snarky attitudes and snide comments, she accepted that this was who they were and was used to it. And while Daisy, Lily, and Violet enjoyed tormenting Misty for sheer pleasure, in the end, they loved their youngest sister very much and they were her biggest fans when it came to battling.

Now that Emily and Misty were good friends, it was time for Emily to do one last thing before saying 'goodbye' and heading out. She took out her camera and asked to take a picture of Misty.

Before she could, Lily pushed Misty aside. "If you're going to take a picture of Misty, you've got to at least get a picture of me too."

"And me," Violet added.

"Take a picture of each of us," Daisy requested. "Individually and together."

"Back off," Misty barked. "Emily asked me, so I'm letting her take my picture."

"Like, no fair," Daisy complained.

Misty grinned and stuck her tongue out at her sisters, then faced Emily and showed a more pleasant smile. Emily took her picture and Misty's image on the photo began to develop perfectly. She taped the picture next to Ash and Brock's pictures and wrote Misty's name. It delighted Misty to see that Emily had pictures of them as well.

Then she remembered, "Hey, Emily, before you go, could you do something for me?"

"Certainly, Misty," she answered.

She cleared her throat and requested, "If you ever see Ash again, let him know I'm cheering him on. I'll also be cheering for you and Max too."

Emily smiled and said, "I'll be sure to tell him when I next see him. And I hope we get to see you again too."

Misty nods and says. "So do I. Maybe I'll see you again when I come to your farm." She turns her attention to the boys and adds, "When I do, I hope I get the chance to battle you guys too someday."

"We'd like that a lot," said Yugi.

"And don't be strangers," Daisy insisted. "Come and visit us too sometime." Annoyed, the boys groan and roll their eyes. After saying their goodbyes, the heroes resume their journey and leave Cerulean City.


	9. The More, the Merrier

The More, the Merrier

It had been five days since the heroes left Cerulean City and they were still en route to Vermillion City. At least they were able to battle other trainers so their Pokémon could gain experience and exercise.

While walking, the heroes saw a Bulbasaur lying in the grass. "Look at that," Joey cried. "It's a Bulbasaur. Who would've thought we'd get to see one in the wild?"

"It looks like she's sunbathing," Emily assumed.

"How can you tell it's a female?" Kaiba asked smugly. Even Joey and Yugi didn't understand. Nonetheless, Emily was right. The Bulbasaur was a female and she was taking in sunlight relaxingly.

"I have my ways," Emily snapped. "Still, I think a Bulbasaur would be a great addition to my team."

"Are you gonna battle her?" Joey asked.

Emily shook her head. "Not now. I'll challenge her when she's good and ready. I mean, look at her. She looks so content and relaxed."

Yugi got an idea. "A break sounds nice right now. We have been walking for quite some time."

His friends agreed. They decided to let their Pokémon out to get some exercise and fresh air. Emily reached into her bag and pulled out some freshly picked strawberries from the Secret Garden. Now that the heroes could come and go between the Pokémon world and the Secret Garden whenever they wanted to, it was quite convenient. Now they didn't have to worry about food. They would still eat at the restaurants in town, but they didn't need to go shopping for much anymore.

Finally, Bulbasaur yawned and stretched. Emily assumed that she had finished sunbathing and decided to take this chance. "Bulbasaur, I challenge you to a battle," she cried. Bulbasaur accepted her challenge and took a fighting stance. Emily tossed her Pokéball and called Breezy into battle. Bulbasaur made the first move by attacking with Razor Leaf. Breezy dodged and attacked with her Silver Wind. A bug-type attack is normally super-effective against a grass-type Pokémon, but since Bulbasaur was also a poison-type, she only received half as much damage. Breezy also unleashed her Sleep Powder, making Bulbasaur feel drowsy. Quickly, Emily tossed her Pokéball at Bulbasaur to capture her. The ball rotated for a few times, then the center glowed red, signaling that the capture was a success. She raised her Pokéball in the air and cheered triumphantly.

Unfortunately, Emily still had a full party of six Pokémon, meaning that her new friend had to be sent to Professor Oak's laboratory. Kaiba checked the map and said that there was a Pokémon Center nearby. This meant that Emily could call Professor Oak and make an exchange.

Emily thought it over and decided to send not one, but two of her Pokémon to Professor Oak in exchange for Bulbasaur. The Pokémon she chose were Shade and Lumina. Granted, it would give her a party of five Pokémon, but she wanted to make room for in case she would encounter another Pokémon she wanted to capture.

When Emily released Bulbasaur from her Pokéball, the Pokémon yawned, still feeling a little drowsy from Breezy's Sleep Powder. Emily presented her with a Chesto Berry. "Here, eat this," she offered. "It'll wake you up." Groggily, the Bulbasaur began eating. A few seconds later, she started feeling more refreshed and awake. "Are you feeling better?" Emily asked.

"Much better," Bulbasaur replied. "Thanks a lot."

"Don't mention it," said Emily. "Now that I'm your trainer, I've got to take care of you." She paused for a second, then said modestly, "I hope we can be friends."

"Hey, where you go, I go," Bulbasaur told her. "Not that I'm against it." She extended her vine and wrapped it around Emily's hand.

Emily laughed and gently grasped the vine to gesture a handshake. "Welcome to the team. And from now on, I'll call you Ivy. Okay?"

Bulbasaur gave it some thought. "Ivy, huh? I like it," she decided. It was settled. Emily and Ivy were going to be traveling together.

There was a small town not too far away. While walking, Emily broke the silence and said, "I heard from the other trainers that Charmander live in this area. I want to find one before we head to town."

"Is that why you made room for your team?" Yugi wondered.

"It's probably just a rumor," Kaiba assumed.

"Come on, Kaiba, if Emily thinks she can find a Charmander, we should help her," said Joey. "No need to be such a downer just because you already have your own."

Kaiba sighed and said, "Do whatever you want."

It actually didn't take long for the heroes to spot a Charmander. She was sharpening her claws on a rock. And based on the flame at the tip of her tail, she looked quite healthy. Still, Emily knew she had to be careful. Battling with Undine was too dangerous because her water attacks could douse the flame, which meant putting Charmander to death. Salamando seemed like the best option.

Before Emily could call Salamado to battle, Charmander was already leaving. "Charmander, wait," Emily called to her. Charmander stopped and gave Emily her attention. "Let's have a battle."

But Charmander didn't want to battle. "I'd really much rather not. I just finished sharpening my claws."

Emily giggled and said, "You're pretty dainty, aren't you? That's cute."

"Me?" Charmander asked with her hands together. She smiled shyly and replied, "I guess I sorta am."

Then Emily remembered what she heard. "You should be careful, though. I've heard a lot of trainers come here looking for Charmander."

The Pokémon knew that, so she also knew someplace where she'd be safe. "Don't worry," she assured Emily. "I can take care of myself."

"Okay, then," said Emily. "Be careful." With that, Emily decided to be on her way.

As her friends followed her, Kaiba asked her, "You're letting it go? You said you wanted to add a Charmander to your team."

"She wasn't up for a battle," the blonde girl replied. "Seeing her look cute and innocent, I just couldn't bring myself to want to capture her."

As Charmander watched the heroes walk on, she heard Emily call her cute once again. "She seems really nice," she wondered to herself. She didn't want to forget about the other trainers who would soon come looking for her. She also had a bad feeling that some of them may not be as friendly. Charmander wondered what to do.

Suddenly, a Fearow came and grabbed Charmander in his talons. "Help!" she screamed.

Emily recognized the voice. "Charmander?" she asked. She looked and saw her being carried off by Fearow. "Oh, no, Charmander!" she cried and ran in pursuit.

"That Fearow is taking her away," Joey shouted. "We gotta stop it!" But that was easier said than done. Attacking Fearow meant risking Charmander getting hurt. Still, they had to save her.

Fearow perched itself on a cliff with Charmander still in his talons. Charmander freed herself by scratching his leg. Fearow screeched in pain and lost his grip. Charmander frantically began looking for an escape. As she looked down, she saw Emily scaling her way up the cliff. "I'm coming, Charmander."

She couldn't believe it. Emily was coming to rescue her. She turned around and saw Fearow limping as he was trying to approach her. It was risky, but she had to fight back. She launched her Flamethrower attack and scorched him. Fearow began flapping his wings violently, creating a wind strong enough to push her back and cause her to fall.

Emily saw Charmander falling and jumped to catch her. She held Charmander safe in her arms, but hit the ground and tumbled, covered in scratches. "It's okay," Emily groaned, fighting her pain. "I've got you." Charmander was astonished to see this girl risking her safety to protect her.

They weren't safe yet. Fearow was coming back. Emily saw a small opening she could fit through. She made it inside, still holding Charmander. Fearow stretched his neck out towards her and tried snapping at her with his beak. Emily screamed in fright.

"Shoo," Charmander ordered. "Go away!" She took a deep breath and used Smokescreen, spewing smoke in Fearow's face. The bird coughed and staggered back from the cave and finally flew away.

Emily and Charmander stepped outside. "You protected me," Emily said to Charmander.

"You came to my rescue," Charmander returned. She gasped as she saw the scratches all over Emily's body. Even her clothes were dirty and torn. "You're all scratched up."

Emily hissed and winced for every movement she made. She really wished she could use her healing powers. Then again, doing so would scare Charmander. "Yeah, it does hurt a little, but it was worth it to save you, Charlie." She gasped at what she said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, that's all right," Charmander insisted. She held her hands together and said, "You can call me Charlie if you want to. I don't mind."

Emily smiled with joy. "You mean you'll come with me after all?" The Pokémon nodded. "Thank you," she paused for a minute, then finished by saying, "Charlie." Still fighting her pain, she rolled a Pokéball over to her. Charlie touched the center, allowing herself to be drawn in. The ball rotated and the center glowed red.

The boys found Emily and helped carry her to town where she could get treatment for her scratches and bruises. What was convenient about being able to return to the Secret Garden whenever they wanted to or needed to was being able to use their powers again. The heroes found an alley where they could pass through. When they did, Emily began using her healing magic on herself. Her bruises and scratches were gone and she was no longer feeling sore. With that setback taken care of, the heroes could return to town.

This town was known for its firefighting crew called the Squirtle Squad. A few years ago, these Squirtle were juvenile delinquents who stole food and vandalized property. When a forest fire threatened to destroy the town, the Squirtle Squad worked together to stop it. Afterwards, they were acknowledged as the town's heroes and were reformed.

Thinking about it made Emily want a Squirtle of her own for her team, but she had yet to find one. She was lucky enough to have found a Bulbasaur and a Charmander, but finding a Squirtle wouldn't be so easy.

The heroes stopped at a lake just outside of town and decided to take a break. While her friends were battling with each other, Emily was waiting patiently next to her fishing line, hoping to catch something. Suddenly, she felt a gentle pull and began reeling her catch. To her surprise and delight, it was a Squirtle. Now was her chance to battle it and capture it.

Emily tossed her Pokéball and called on Undine. Now both Pokémon had the advantage in the water. Undine launched her Aurora Beam, but Squirtle tucked in her shell to defend herself. She also began spinning rapidly as she was approaching Undine. Undine escaped by diving into the water. Squirlte emerged from her shell and looked for Undine, wondering where she went. Undine emerged from the water and struck Squirtle from behind with her Water Pulse. Quickly, Emily grabbed a Pokéball and tossed towards Squirtle to capture her. The ball rotated for a few times, then the center glowed red, signaling that the capture was a success.

Since Emily already had six Pokémon in her team, she had to call Professor Oak. Just like before, Emily decided to exchange two of her Pokémon for Squritle. The Pokémon she chose to send back were Undine and Salamando.

When Squirtle came out of her Pokéball, she looked at her new surroundings nervously. "Don't be afraid," Emily said softly. "I just want to be friends with you."

"Friends," Squirtle asked. "Oh, sure, umm… that sounds nice."

Emily could see that this Squirtle was a little timid. "Don't worry. All we need is time to get to know each other. If you need to, we'll take it steady."

Squirtle cleared her throat. "Oh, yes, I'll need some time to get used to you." Squirtle was shy now, but she thought she'd be able to warm up to her new trainer in due time.

Emily thought so too. She was patient and assured Squirtle that she could take as much time as she would need. She picked up Squirtle and held her to her side. "I'll call you Shelly, okay?"

"Okay," Squirtle replied. Maybe getting used to her new name would help her get used to being around her new trainer.

With all the new Pokémon Emily obtained in a short time, Emily couldn't help but feel happy that she made so many new friends.


	10. Turning the Tides

Turning the Tides

The heroes were still traveling to Vermillion City, but stopped at the beach to take a short break. Yugi and Joey were swimming in the water and Emily went looking for shells and stones to collect. Kaiba sat on the dock fishing for Pokémon. He had been waiting for almost half an hour and was about to give up until he felt a strong pull. It seemed strong enough to pull him in the water, but Kaiba kept his grip and pulled his reel back with effort. Using all of his strength, Kaiba pulled back and reeled in a dark blue Pokémon with a silver belly and two beads near the end of its tail. To his amazement, the Pokémon he reeled in was a Dragonair. He had to capture it.

Kaiba tossed his Pokéball and called on Kingdra. He tried to attack with Twister, but Dragonair dived back in the ocean. A second later, he came up to the surface and coiled around Kingdra. Before he could grasp, Kingdra launched his Dragon Pulse and landed a direct hit on Dragonair. Kaiba tossed his Pokéball to capture it. The ball rotated twice, but Dragonair broke free. Kaiba knew this wouldn't be easy. Dragon-type Pokémon are difficult to capture as well as defeat.

Dragonair used Dragon Tail and struck Kingdra, sending him crashing on the dock Kaiba was standing on. After that, he started using Dragon Breath. Kingdra dived under the water and escaped just in time. A second later, he attacked Dragonair from underneath with Dragon Pulse. Kaiba figured Dragonair was weakened enough and he decided to try again. He tossed his Pokéball once again and Dragonair was drawn inside. The ball rotated thrice and this time, the capture was a success.

The problem was Kaiba already had six Pokémon and needed to call Professor Oak to make an exchange. Close to the dock was a lighthouse that stood tall. Maybe they had a phone he could use. Besides, it was getting dark and the heroes needed to find a place to stay. They hoped they would be able to spend the night.

It turned out that a friend and colleague of Professor Oak's lived in this lighthouse. He was a Pokémon researcher named Bill. He had heard from Professor Oak that Yugi and his friends were travelling through the Kanto Region and was anxious to meet them when he heard that they were coming his way. Bill graciously welcomed Yugi and his friends as his guests.

While Yugi, Joey, and Emily were making themselves comfortable, Kaiba called Professor Oak and sent over his Kingdra in exchange for Dragonair. Bill called for everyone's attention and said he had a gift for each of them; something that would come in handy. In his hand was a case with four Mega Stones resting inside. Professor Oak told Bill that Yugi and his friends obtained the beginner Pokémon from his lab and wondered if he still had the Mega Stones he had been holding on to. Bill got the same idea and decided to give the Mega Stones to Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba. Joey revealed that he had a Bulbasaur and was given the Venusaurite and Yugi revealed that he had a Squirtle and was given the Blastoisinite. There were two Mega Stones for Charizard. One of them would increase its speed as a flying-type Pokémon and the other would turn it into a dragon-type Pokémon and raise its attack power. Kaiba couldn't turn away from dragon power and immediately, he took the blue stone. Emily said she had a Charmander too and asked if she could take the other Mega Stone. Bill gladly accepted her request and gave her the Mega Stone.

Emily remembered her collection of Mega Stones and showed Bill the ones she found while traveling through the Kanto Region. Bill inspected the Mega Stones and said they were for Beedrill, Kangaskhan, Gengar, Aerodactyl, Pidgeot, and Tyranitar. Yugi remembered that Pidgeot was the final evolutionary stage for Pidgey and asked Emily if he could have the Mega Stone. Emily told him he could. Delighted, Yugi took the Mega Stone and secured it in a pouch and placed it in his backpack.

The next morning, the heroes were about to resume their journey until they heard a distress cry. Looking out on the sea, they saw two Pokémon. One was a Dratini and the other was a Gyarados.

"Looks like trouble, guys," said Joey.

"Is that Gyarados attacking that Dratini?" Yugi asked.

"No," Emily answered. "I think Gyarados is in pain based on its cries. It also sounds like Dratini is trying to calm Gyarados down."

"We should try to help them," Yugi suggested. His friends agreed and headed to the dock. When they got there, Gyarados whiplashed Dratini with his tail and sent her flying towards the heroes.

Emily saw Dratini and gently picked her up. "Are you okay, Dratini?"

"I think so," she weakly answered. "Please help Gyarados. He's really in pain."

Emily looked out on the beach and saw him thrashing around in pain. "I'll see if I can find out what's wrong."

Kaiba decided to come along too. He called on Dragonair and together, he and Emily climbed on his back. Dragonair swam towards Gyarados, but kept his distance. As long as Gyarados was thrashing around, approaching him would be too dangerous. Still, they had to find a way to stop him. "We have to sedate that Pokémon," Kaiba told Emily. "He's going to hurt himself."

"I have an idea." She tossed her Pokéball and called on Breezy. The pink Butterfree flew above Gyarados and unleashed her Sleep Powder on Emily's command. They wouldn't be able to sedate Gyarados with medicine, but Sleep Powder would still do the trick.

Kaiba knew that if Gyarados were to sink back in the ocean, the spores of Sleep Powder would wash off and he would be thrashing around again. He decided to capture it. He tossed a Pokéball and Gyarados was drawn in. The ball rotated a few times, but the capture was a success. There was no time to celebrate, however. They had to take Gyarados to a Pokémon Center.

Dratini wanted to come along. "Please take me with you," she told Emily. "That Gyarados is in pain because of me."

"What happened?" asked Emily.

Thinking about it made Dratini start crying. "I got in trouble and Gyarados came to my rescue. A human in this strange machine was trying to capture me. I tried to escape, but got caught in the machine's arm. It was about to pull me in when suddenly, Gyarados rammed into it. He used his strength to shatter the arm that grabbed me. He was helping me get away when… when…" she stopped to breathe, then finished by saying, "the human attacked Gyarados with another mechanical arm with sharp claws and now one of the claws is stuck."

Dratini starts scolding herself and her crying becomes harder. "It's all my fault! Gyarados was trying to protect me! I'll never forgive myself if anything happens to him."

Emily gently held Dratini and began caressing her. "It's okay. It's not your fault."

Although Yugi couldn't understand what Dratini was saying, he could tell that she really cared about Gyarados and was worried about him. "Don't worry, Dratini. We'll help Gyarados," he promised.

When they reached the Pokémon Center, Kaiba got to the point and said this was an emergency. Nurse Joy wasted no time and prepared an emergency room for Gyarados. The Pokémon was still drowsy from the effects of Sleep Powder, but Nurse Joy didn't want to take her chances knowing Gyarados can be aggressive. She fully sedated him and got her equipment organized.

Just as Dratini explained, a piece of the machine was stuck in the Pokémon's skin and needed to be removed. Joy applied medicine on the wounded area and started carefully removing the piece. When the extraction was complete, Joy applied gauze and bandages to cover the wound.

She came outside and told the heroes the procedure went well. "Gyarados is going to be just fine," she assured them. Everyone was relieved to hear that. "It just needs plenty of rest. It should feel better in the morning."

Dratini was happy to hear that Gyarados was recovering, but she still blamed herself for his injuries. She decided to talk to him when she would get the chance.

As Nurse Joy promised, Gyarados was feeling much better now that the metal claw was out of his body. He was moving around in the therapy pool relaxingly. Dratini slipped out of Emily's arms and slithered towards Gyarados. He faced her to listen to what she had to say. "I'm sorry," Dratini apologized. "You got hurt because of me. This wouldn't have happened to you if I was stronger and able to protect myself." She turns away and adds, "You must really hate me."

As Gyarados lowered his face towards Dratini, she thought he was going to eat her. Instead, he softly growled and started rubbing himself against her. "I'm just glad you're safe. I couldn't let that hunter hurt you. Actually, I'm the one who feels bad for attacking you when you were trying to help me."

Dratini forgave him and said, "If you didn't, we wouldn't have met these nice humans and you wouldn't have gotten the help you needed. Now we get to be their Pokémon."

Gyarados wasn't sure how to handle that. Though he was thankful to the heroes for helping him, he wasn't sure he could trust them. Still, he owed them for their help; especially Kaiba now that he was his Pokémon. But he figured he and Dratini were both in good hands. He could also see that she really seemed to like them; especially Emily. And since their trainers were traveling together, the Pokémon would be too. Gyarados figured that maybe he would be content with his new trainer. Still, as long as Dratini was safe and happy, that mattered most to Gyarados and he trusted that Emily would make sure of it.

Since Dratini was going to be Emily's Pokémon, the blonde girl decided to give her the name Majesty. Dratini liked it, considering she was a rare and majestic Pokémon. Emily suddenly remembered. She reached into her backpack and looked through the pouch containing her collection of Mega Stones. "It's in here somewhere," she muttered, looking through her collection. "Ah! Here it is." She pulled out a Mega Stone and gave it to Kaiba.

He looked at it and wondered, "Is this the Mega Stone for Gyarados?"

"It sure is," she answered.

Kaiba appreciated the small act of kindness, but he decided to hold on to the Mega Stone for now. "Thanks, Briar, but knowing what kind of Pokémon Gyarados is, I'll have to wait before letting him hold on to this Mega Stone." He turns around and looks at his new Pokémon. "Gyarados doesn't trust me yet. He and I need time getting used to each other."

Yugi agreed. "Right now, it's important that you two learn to be patient with each other. But I'm sure you guys will make a good team."

"Yeah, you're perfect for each other," Joey commented. Kaiba decided to ignore his comment. Before taking Gyarados with him, Kaiba had to send one of his Pokémon back to Professor Oak. The Pokémon he chose was Houndoom. Once again, the heroes saved the day and made new friends.


	11. A Moment of Torment

A Moment of Torment

At last, Yugi and his friends arrived in Vermillion City. It had been a week and a half since they left Cerulean City and now that they were finally here, Emily could compete for her next gym badge. A few small things were in order first. She had to take her Pokémon to the Pokémon Center to get everyone treated for her challenge. Afterwards, she and the boys had to go shopping for supplies for their Pokémon. They also needed to get their clothes washed at the laundromat. Once everyone finished their errands, they could also stop for lunch. It had been a long time since they had a decent meal and they were starting to get tired of eating only fruits and vegetables and stew and chowder all the time.

Emily was taking her time thinking about what Pokémon to use for her gym battle. Based on her knowledge, the gym leader battled using electric-type Pokémon. Their only weakness was ground and unfortunately, Emily didn't have any ground-type Pokémon in her party. However, she still had Sylphid and that gave her an idea. She decided to fight fire with fire, or in this case, lightning with lightning. She also had Ivy, who was strong against electric attacks since she was a grass-type. Majesty was strong against electric attacks too. After getting her team organized, she headed to the Vermillion gym.

When the doors open, Emily addressed herself. "My name is Emily and I've come to challenge the gym leader."

The gym leader was a large and tough man known as Lt. Surge. He was more than twice her size and wore dark brown clothes and had short spiky blonde hair. As he looked down at Emily, he laughed, thinking it was a joke. "No way, a cute little girl like you dares to challenge me?"

"Yes," Emily croaked. She found this man very intimidating and she didn't even know why. His physique made her think of Rafael, who was also more than twice her size and spoke with a gruff voice.

Lt. Surge still laughed in amusement. "You're a cute little one, aren't you?" he asked, placing his palm against her head. "Well, don't think I'll go easy on you, baby."

Emily was becoming annoyed. This man definitely reminded her of Rafael and she didn't like it; especially when he called her 'baby'. But she didn't know if he was taunting her or flirting with her. It seemed like a little bit of both. Emily remembered that anyone Lt. Surge deemed weak in his eyes, he called 'baby', and considering how he was treating her now, he really was tormenting her.

Her friends didn't like it either. Even they were reminded of Rafael and how he was like this with their friend. From the sidelines, they cheered for Emily.

The rules of the battle were simple. Both trainers would battle with one Pokémon and the match would be over when the first Pokémon was defeated. Lt. Surge chose Raichu as his Pokémon and Emily chose Sylphid.

_It's time to teach this punk some manners, _Emily thought to herself. She made the first command and ordered Sylphid to use Double Kick. Sylphid charged towards Raichu and lifted both of his hind legs. Raichu grabbed Sylphid by his feet and threw him down. He was about to attack with Body Slam, but Sylphid managed to get away just in time. Raichu kept trying to attack, but was having a hard time keeping up with Sylphid. Raichu had brute strength, but his reflexes were sluggish.

If he couldn't keep up with his opponent, Raichu could still attack from afar. He unleashed his Thunder attack and sent sparks of electricity flying all over the arena. It actually did Sylphid a lot more good than harm thanks to his special ability Volt Absorb. Now Sylphid was fully charged with electric power while Raichu was drained of it. Sylphid unleashed his own Thunder attack and successfully defeated Raichu.

Lt. Surge congratulated Emily. "Way to go, Emily. You sure took me by surprise. I guess I really underestimated you."

"Don't worry about it," said Emily. "I get this a lot and I'm used to it."

"I'm serious," continued Lt. Surge. "Not many challengers have beaten my Raichu the same way you did." He reaches into his pocket and presents Emily with the Thunder badge. "Take this, babe. You earned it as proof of your victory."

As if calling her 'baby' wasn't bad enough – actually, it was already bad enough when Rafael called her 'babe' back home. Keeping her composure, Emily smiles, takes the badge, and cheers in triumph.

With her victory in the Vermillion gym behind her, Emily was ready to get out of there and seek out the next gym. Her friends couldn't wait to leave either. The sooner they got away from Lt. Surge, the better. They didn't want to be tormented with more reminiscing moments of Rafael's flirting. As much as they liked Rafael and thought of him as a friend, sometimes, he was a little too much.


	12. Love and War

Love and War

Happy to be out of Vermillion City, the heroes chose Saffron City as their next destination. Right now, the heroes stopped to take a short break.

Emily was tending to Breezy by polishing her skin and cleaning her wings. The time was drawing near and Emily wanted her Pokémon to look clean and stunning. She also gave her some fresh fruit and spring water for lunch.

"Breezy looks fantastic," Joey complimented. "I mean, not that she wasn't pretty already, but she looks radiant."

Kaiba agreed. "It's nice to see you're taking care of her so well. The light reflects off her wings so beautifully, her eyes are clear, and she's nice and clean."

"Thank you," Emily told her friends. "I want Breezy to be clean and healthy before I see her off."

"See her off?" Kaiba repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

"Is it that time already?" Yugi asked.

"What do you mean?" Kaiba asked. "What time is it?"

Yugi explained to him, "When summer comes to an end and autumn draws near, Butterfree gather together for mating season."

"Really," Kaiba asked in astonishment.

"It's true," said Emily. "Like most animals, there are some Pokémon who have their own mating ceremonies and traditions and some of them even mate for life. Butterfree is one of those Pokémon. For Butterfree, they perform a courtship dance to the one they most desire. If he or she dances with them, they mate for life. It's romantic, and yet…" she turns away and smiles sadly. "It's also sad."

It was understandable for Emily to have mixed feelings of happiness and sadness. Many Pokémon trainers who raised their Butterfree and set them free for mating season felt the same way. Even though Emily had faced the hardships of letting go many times before, the pain always seemed to come back. But as always, she knew she couldn't be selfish. She had to consider the happiness of her Pokémon and let her follow these traditions. Emily wanted Breezy to find her true love and begin a new life.

Breezy understood her pain and knew it would be hard too. She wanted to find love, but she also knew it would mean having to say 'goodbye' to her trainer. Breezy loved Emily, but she also had her own dreams she wanted to follow. When the girls told each other of their feelings, they came to an understanding that Breezy could follow her dreams and Emily was willing to let her go.

The heroes rented a hot air balloon so they could watch the Butterfree seek out their mates on the coast. Before releasing Breezy, Emily decided to give her Pokémon a few warnings. "I want you to be careful out there," she cautioned. "A lot of males will seek you out and some of them can be pretty aggressive and dominant."

"I understand, Emily," Breezy assured her. "But how will I know who's the right one for me?"

"You'll know when you see him," she replied. "Your heart will tell you. Just be yourself out there," she added. "It's important to find someone who will love you for just being you, which also leads to this last reminder: don't ever let anyone change who you are. But it's not always just about you. When you love someone, you need to be understanding of them in return. You're a special Pokémon, Breezy, and you'll be special to your mate and he'll be special to you."

"Yes, Emily," Breezy replied, understanding the concept. All she had to do was be strong out there and be herself and choose carefully.

"Are you ready to do this?" Emily asked.

"I am," Breezy answered.

"All right, then," said Emily. "Go for it!" she cheered.

Breezy flew off to join the other Butterfree who were seeking out their mates. She started to consider herself a little _too_ special because she stood out from the others for being the only pink Butterfree in the flock. It didn't even take long for a lot of males to come after her, trying to woo her and impress her. She was feeling uncomfortable being surrounded by all these boys and started to have second thoughts about finding a mate.

Just then, through the swarm, she saw him. There was another Butterfree looking at her. When she took notice of him, he softly gasped and looked away as a red hue appeared on his face. Breezy pushed her way through the swarm and flew towards him. "Hi there," she greeted.

The Butterfree felt his heart pounding as he saw this beautiful Butterfree approach him. "Hello," he croaked.

"My name's Breezy," she introduced. "What's your name?"

"Me?" he asked. "My trainer just calls me Butterfree."

Breezy understood. Not many trainers named their Pokémon. "I noticed that you seemed interested in me. Why didn't you crowd me like those other boys?"

Butterfree felt embarrassed. "You saw that?" he asked nervously. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! It's just that I've never seen a pink Butterfree before and I thought you were beautiful and – oh, what am I saying? Please forget I said that."

Breezy laughed in admiration. She could see this Butterfree was shy and though he was embarrassed, she thought he was cute. "Well, I think you're cute."

"You… you think I'm… cute?" he repeated. Breezy nodded.

Watching from the distance, Emily saw that Breezy found someone of interest. She sighed of relief. "When all of those male Butterfree surrounded Breezy, I thought she was in trouble. But it looks like she may have met someone of interest."

Joey took Emily's binoculars from her and looked through them. "He doesn't look different from the others."

"It's his personality that's different," said Yugi. "What makes that Butterfree stand out from the others is his nature. Though he admired Breezy and was taken in by her beauty, he didn't crowd her like the others."

"And that got her interested in him," Emily wondered. "Look how curious they are about each other," she said, looking through her binoculars again.

Just then, another Butterfree came in and pushed the other Butterfree away from Breezy. This one was bigger and had an orange speckle on one of his wings.

Breezy gasped in shock. "Who do you think you are attacking my friend like that," she scolded.

"The name's Flash," he introduced and began dancing around her. "And I want you to be my mate."

Breezy turned away. "I refuse." _Emily warned me this would happen_, she thought to herself._ I've got to get away from him._

"I won't take 'no' for an answer," Flash says, stopping in front of her. "I want the most beautiful Butterfree in this flock and that's you. We'll have the bravest, smartest, best-looking children."

"I don't want children with you," Breezy snapped. "Find someone who does."

Through her binoculars, Emily saw that Breezy was in trouble and needed help. "Breezy's being bullied!" _If I could use my powers in this world, I could fly in to her rescue,_ she thought.

Even Yugi didn't like what he was seeing. Flash's conceited behavior made him think about Rafael and how he was always being a jerk to Emily and refused to take 'no' for an answer. Just then, he saw the other Butterfree coming back. "It's that Butterfree from before." Looking closely, he saw that Butterfree was fighting to protect Breezy.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Joey asked Emily. "You're Breezy's trainer, Em. Shouldn't you help her?"

Emily wanted to, but seeing what was going on, she decided not to. "I may be her trainer, but this isn't my fight. Like animals, male Pokémon will spar for the right to be the mate of the female they desire. And while Breezy may have chosen her love, there's nothing left for her to do but watch them go at it with each other."

She was right. Breezy hoped that Flash would lose because if he won, she would be forced to mate with him for life. She prayed for her friend to be strong. Butterfree was shy, but he wasn't going to let Breezy be pushed around by someone who only wanted her for her beauty.

Flash charged in with Tackle. Butterfree tried to stop him with Silver Wind, but Flash still managed to fly through without difficulty. He grabbed Butterfree and began gnawing him with Bug Bite. Butterfree screeched in pain and began using Psychic to force him off. They both began ramming each other with Tackle. Butterfree held him in place with Psychic and landed another hard Tackle. Both Pokémon were struggling to stay airborne, but the battle really tired them out. Flash was about to use Silver Wind, but didn't have the strength to unleash it. He lost his flight and carefully landed on the rocks at the cliff.

Breezy cheers in delight and approaches Butterfree. She gently nudges herself against him. "You were so brave, Butterfree."

Suddenly, Butterfree found himself feeling better. Being comforted by Breezy was making him forget his pain from the battle. He performs his courtship dance around her and asks, "Breezy, will you be my mate?"

"Of course I will," she answers, dancing with him.

"Look at that," Emily tells her friends, "Breezy found her love."

Yugi was happy the way things turned out like they did. Thinking about the battle also made him start thinking about himself and Emily. Emily already made it clear that she loved Yugi, but knowing how stubborn and conceited Rafael can be, Yugi wondered, would it have to come down to when he would have to fight him for her? Butterfree wasn't sure he would be up to the challenge when he would be going against an opponent bigger and stronger than he was, but he didn't let it stop him from protecting someone he loved. The best part was, he did it for love and not for pride.

It was time for Emily and Breezy to say 'goodbye'. Now that Breezy had found her mate, they could cross the ocean and reach the land where they would lay their eggs and raise their young.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you as long as we would've liked, but I'm still glad I got to meet you and travel with you," Breezy told Emily.

"Likewise," Emily returned. "Every moment with you was still worthwhile. The time we were able to spend together is still enough to be thankful for."

"Emily, it's because of you that I was able to become the Butterfree that I am. I'll never forget all that you've done for me. While I'll be going off to follow my dreams and be my own Pokémon, everything you've taught me and given me will always be part of me."

"And you will always be in my heart," the blonde added. The girl and her Pokémon looked at each other with tears filling their eyes. Though Emily couldn't see it, she had a feeling that Breezy was smiling just like her. "Breezy, I love you," she sobbed, hugging her Pokémon.

"I love you too, Emily," the pink Butterfree returned and kissed her cheek.

Emily eases her grip and releases her Pokémon. "I hope I get to see you again as I continue my travels."

"I'm sure you will," Breezy promised.

"Until then, you two take care of each other. I'm sure you'll have a great family too."

"Thank you, Emily," Breezy said gratefully. "Thank you for everything." Together, she and her new mate prepare to cross the ocean and start flying towards the sunset.

Emily continues waving and saying her goodbyes until Breezy and her mate are gone from her sight. "Good luck, my friend. And thank you too."

Joey smiles and sets his hand on her shoulder. "You did good raising Breezy, Em. She turned out to be a great Pokémon. Now she has a good mate. I guess her taste in guys wasn't so different from yours."

Yugi agreed. "She chose her love carefully and now they'll take care of each other and be happy together." He takes her hand and promises, "And, Emily, I'll always be here for you," he pauses, then adds, "because I'm yours."

She firmly grasps his hand and returns, "And I'm yours." The Butterfree really did remind them of themselves. They also learned to be true to themselves and not let anything or anyone stand in the way of true love.


	13. Full of Surprises

Full of Surprises

On the way to Saffron City, the heroes stopped at Lavender Town. The town carried with it an ominous atmosphere because there resided the Pokémon Tower, home of the ghost Pokémon. From what Emily knew, Sabrina, the leader of the Saffron gym, specialized in using psychic-type Pokémon, and when trained carefully and with great difficulty, their abilities can be dangerous. She wanted to come to Lavender Town to train with the ghost Pokémon to increase her team's defenses and stamina. True, ghost Pokémon have different tactics from psychic Pokémon, but they can still be tricky opponents.

Emily called Professor Oak and asked for Shade and Lumina to be sent over. Being a dark-type Pokémon, Shade had the type advantage. As for Lumina, if she was trained carefully and had her own psychic abilities enhanced, she would be able to build up some resistance to her opponents' abilities. Shade and Lumina were going to need this training because chances were Sabrina had a Keystone and would tap into the power of Mega Evolution just as the previous gym leaders had.

On the way to the Pokémon Tower, Yugi saw an Abra, a diminutive psychic Pokémon. Well, it looked diminutive, but it had surprisingly strong psychic abilities. And while Abra may sleep for eighteen hours, it's not completely unaware of what occurs and is able to sense danger. It's also known for playing hard-to-get because it's always teleporting to escape from danger.

Yugi knew that if he were to attempt to capture Abra, his effort would be in vain. However, Abra sensed Yugi's desire and levitated towards him. Yugi was surprised that Abra would accept his challenge, but he knew he couldn't be carried away. He chose Pidgey as his Pokémon. Pidgey swooped in for a Quick Attack, but Abra teleported and reappeared behind her. Pidgey kept trying to land an attack, but Abra anticipated her moves and kept evading with Teleport. Yugi came up with an idea. He told Pidgey to fly higher and use Featherdance. She obeys and releases many feathers. Afterwards, she unleashes her Gust, causing the feathers to scatter. Abra reappeared only to be trapped in a whirlwind of feathers. Quickly, Yugi tossed his Pokéball to capture Abra. The ball rotated a few times until the center glowed red.

"All right," Yugi cheered. "We got Abra!"

Pidgey cheered with him and began glowing. She grew larger and she had colorful feathers hanging from her head like hair. She was now a Pidgeotto. "You evolved. Way to go, Pidgeotto," said Yugi. Pidgeotto happily cooed.

"That was awesome, Yugi," said Emily.

"Thanks, Emily. Now we can go to the Pokémon Tower."

When they got to the Tower, the heroes felt a disturbing chill. Joey shuddered and backed away. "Maybe we should forget about this place."

Kaiba grinned and asked, "You're not afraid of ghost Pokémon, are you, Wheeler?"

"No, I don't mind ghost Pokémon," he answered. "It's just plain ghosts in general I don't like and I certainly don't like spooky places like this place."

Emily got an idea. "Okay, if it makes you feel better, I'll go by myself and you guys can stay at the Pokémon Center."

"Good idea," Kaiba agreed. "You're the one who needs to train your Pokémon."

Yugi was against the idea. "Absolutely not. I am not letting you go in there alone. We're all going."

"Why'd it have to come to this?" Joey moaned. He really didn't want to come here and he didn't want it to mean having to stay until the break of dawn.

It was too dark to see anything when they stepped inside. Emily could see in the dark, but her friends couldn't. She called on Charlie to light the way. They foyer was lit up enough for everyone to see the furniture and collectables. Yugi even found some candles. Charlie used the flame on her tail to light the candles.

No one saw any ghost Pokémon, but that didn't mean they weren't around. They were just up to their old tricks, hiding and waiting to surprise their visitors. Yugi knew how to draw them into the open. He called on Noctowl and commanded him to use Foresight. Noctowl obeyed, but no ghosts were revealed. Clearly the ghost Pokémon who lived here were smart.

The heroes came to the dining hall and saw the table filled with plates and silverware and wine glasses. Suddenly, the chairs and kitchenware began levitating around the room. Noctowl used Foresight, but there was nothing. Yugi wondered if the ghost Pokémon had their own psychic abilities.

The heroes left the dining room and returned to the foyer. "I've had just about enough of this," Joey complained. "This is not fun anymore!"

Kaiba agreed. "Clearly our definition of fun is different from the ghost Pokémon's." Suddenly, to everyone's horror, Haunter appeared in front of them. Joey screamed of fright and hid behind Kaiba. "Knock it off," the brunette told him. "You've seen a Haunter before."

Haunter wasn't alone. Gengar appeared next to him. "Welcome, my friends," he greeted in a sinister manner.

Emily gulped and took a step towards him. "Please," she whimpered, her voice breaking, "forgive our intrusion."

"No, no, we love having visitors," Gengar said, his tone changing. "It livens up our mood and we get to have fun." He and Haunter began laughing together.

Emily smiled and chuckled nervously. "Yes, I can see that."

Haunter appears behind her and sets his hand on her shoulder. "It's so lonely with it just being us ghosts and we don't get too many visitors. But when we do, that's when the real fun begins."

"But it's always the same," Gengar said sadly. "The fun is over just when it begins. When it's just getting good, humans who come here run away."

Emily felt empathy towards the ghost Pokémon, but she also agreed that people being scared out of their wits was not their idea of fun. She wondered if there was a way to get the ghost Pokémon to cooperate. Then she got an idea. Maybe their tricks could just be the training Shade and Lumina needed. She just had to get a compromise in order. "Haunter, Gengar, if I promise to play with you, will you do something for me?"

"What's that?" the Pokémon ask.

"I'm going to battle Sabrina at the Saffron City gym soon and I need to get my Pokémon trained up. Your ghostly tricks may just be what I need. Will you help me?"

Haunter and Gengar face each other. Genagr smiles and says, "Yes, I believe that could benefit the both of us."

"You've got yourself a deal," said Haunter.

Emily's smile brightened up. "You mean it? Thanks, you guys!"

"What did they say, Emily," Joey asked.

"The ghost Pokémon agreed to help me if I promised to play with them," she answered. Her friends weren't sure what to make of it. They shrugged and decided to go with it.

They played games like hide-and-seek, tag, catch, and they also played on the swing set and carousel. Emily wondered what kind of training was coming from it. Was it to stay positive when all seems bad? Keep calm and have fun? Shade and Lumina understood it better. Every game was a lesson to enhance their senses; every scent and every sound. Concentration also played a major factor. The ghost Pokémon advised Lumina to meditate through the distractions of playtime to enhance her psychic abilities. It wasn't easy, but she did her best to ignore everyone and think only about letting her psychic energy flow around her.

Shade's training was similar. He let the dark energy of the ghost Pokémon flow around him to enhance his dark power. All that training even helped him learn to use Shadow Ball. That attack would surely come in handy against Sabrina.

They played and trained all through the night. At dawn, they left the Pokémon Tower and went to the Pokémon Center to get as much sleep as they could. They slept through the morning and didn't wake up until lunchtime.

When the heroes ate their fill, they left Lavender Town and made it to Saffron City within a few hours.

"I hope all that playing around was sufficient training for your Pokémon," Kaiba warned Emily. "If Sabrina is as strong a gym leader as you say she is, I don't know how you're going to manage."

Emily wasn't worried. "Ghost Pokémon may be tricky and cunning and their antics may be deceiving, but those guys were very nice and Lumina and Shade managed to gain some training." Her Pokémon agreed. Emily still agreed. Sabrina was a force to be reckoned with. Not only wasn't she a brilliant gym leader, but she also had immense telekinetic powers and shared a strong telekinetic bond with her Pokémon.

Kaiba still had his doubts. Just then, he took notice of the Magnet Train departing from the station. He remembered that the Magnet Train goes to the station in Goldenrod City and started thinking about Clair. He promised he would visit her when he acquired more dragon-type Pokémon. Now wasn't the time to take a detour, though. Even if he were to go to Goldenrod City, it would still take days to get to Blackthorn City. Kaiba decided to visit Claire another time. For now, he would watch Emily battle Sabrina.

Sabrina came before the heroes dressed in a red coat and dark boots and a silver necklace containing a Keystone. She also had dark green hair reaching down her waist and dark blue eyes that carried a sinister expression. "Welcome, challenger," she said grimly. "We will battle with one Pokémon each and the battle will be over when either Pokémon is defeated. Do you accept these terms?"

"I accept," said Emily.

"Very well," said Sabrina. She held a Pokéball in her hand and called on Alakazam. Yugi gritted his teeth as he saw Alakazam wearing a brace with a Mega Stone. He remembered how he almost went up against a Mega Evolved Alakazam when Eusine challenged him back in Ecruteak City.

Emily chose Shade as her Pokémon. Sabrina wasn't worried. She had faced many challengers who battled with dark-type Pokémon and knew how to stand against them. Her Pokémon couldn't use their psychic powers to attack, but they could still use a different tactic. Sabrina placed her fingertips against her Keystone to invoke its power and make Alakazam Mega Evolve. Alakazam sat with his legs crossed and spoons levitating above him.

"Remember our training, Shade. Just because psychic attacks have no effect on you doesn't mean you're safe." Shade barked in understanding. "All right, charge in and use Feint Attack." Shade ran towards Alakazam, but he stopped him using his psychic powers. He began using Telekinesis to move Shade around like a rag doll. Emily was afraid of this. Shade's Sucker Punch attack didn't work against special attacks like Telekinesis and as long as Alakazam was focused, Shade couldn't escape his grip.

There was still a way. Shade launched a barrage of Shadow Balls at Alakazam. He couldn't defend himself because he was focused on holding Shade in place. Alakazam lost his grip and released Shade so he could use Recover to restore his energy. Shade regains his composure and runs towards Alakazam to attack. He bites down on his arm and Alakazam starts thrashing around in pain. He uses Psychic to force him off. Shade launches another Shadow Ball, but Alakazam uses Psychic to change its course. It's risky, but Shade uses Sucker Punch to land a sneak attack and get past Alakazam. Since Alakazam was concentrating on making the Shadow Ball attack follow Shade, he didn't see the attack coming until it was too late. Alakazam staggered back and fell and returned to his original form.

Calm and collected, Sabrina called Alakazam back. "Well done, Emily," she said gently. "Not many challengers have defeated my Alakazam; especially when Mega Evolved. The moment you arrived, I sensed something special about you, something that makes you different from the other trainers I've battled. What it is, I cannot describe, let alone say, but your Pokémon have it too." She approaches Emily and holds out her hand. "As proof of your victory, I present to you this Marsh Badge."

"Thank you, Sabrina." Emily takes the badge and cheers in triumph. Sabrina wished the heroes well on their journey as they left the gym.

"You had me worried there for a minute, Briar," Kaiba was saying, "but you really came through."

"Thanks, but I was pretty nervous myself," said Emily. "Psychic Pokémon are tricky, but if you keep calm and stay positive and mind your surroundings, you'll find the way." She faces Yugi and tells him, "You did that when you battled and captured Abra."

"I did, didn't I?" Yugi asked. "I guess staying at Lavender Town really was worthwhile. It's good we stayed there before coming here."

"So where to next?" Joey asked.

Kaiba checked the map. "The next closest gym is located in Celadon City."

"Then that's where we'll go," said Yugi.


	14. Spar for the Course

Spar for the Course

Emily knew that the gym leader of Celadon City specialized in plant Pokémon, so she called Professor Oak and sent Shade back in exchange for Salamando. With two fire-type Pokémon in her party, Emily figured that the match would be a cakewalk. But after some consideration, Emily realized that she hadn't been battling with her new Pokémon as much and needed to get them trained up. While she used them in her battles with her friends, none of them had actually participated in gym battles.

Emily paired Charlie and Salamando together as training partners. There was also a chance that her opponent's Pokémon would also be poison-types, so she held on to Lumina. "Okay, team," Emily addressed her Pokémon, "we're going to start with some exercises, then we'll get into battle mode. Let's run a few laps to build up some energy." She led the way with her Pokémon following her. Running was a good way to build up speed. Charlie wasn't as fast as Salamando or Lumina, but she managed to keep her pace.

After running ten laps, Emily led her Pokémon into doing jumping exercises. Charlie was able to stand on two legs and wave her arms. Lumina and her brother couldn't stand on two legs, so instead, they just leaped.

After that small workout, Emily gave her Pokémon some cold water to drink. "Is this really necessary?" Charlie asked, catching her breath.

Lumina panted and answered, "It sure is. We'll be able to build up our speed and defenses if we exercise like this."

"When we get into battle mode, that's when things are really going to get intense," Salamando warned.

"Don't worry, Charlie," Lumina assured her, "Emily always lets us rest after working out, so we won't be able to start battling yet, not when our minds and bodies are weary." She smiles and adds, "The best part for me after a workout is a nice warm bath to make me feel refreshed. Feeling Emily's fingers massaging my fur is so relaxing."

Salamando agreed. "I don't mind a bath as long as the water's warm."

The thought of it was scaring Charlie. "I can't take a bath."

Salamado placed a comforting paw over her. "Emily wouldn't do something so cruel to you. She's a good person."

Charlie always believed that, but she still couldn't help but fear for her life. She was even more scared when she heard that she was the first to be bathed. She tightly closed her eyes and whimpered. "Don't be afraid, Charlie," Emily said soothingly. "It's not as bad as you think."

Charlie gasped as she felt a cold, wet cloth being rubbed against her. She opened her eyes and saw Emily gently wiping the dirt and sweat from her skin. It wasn't so bad at all. Emily cleaned every inch except for Charlie's tail to avoid possible risk of danger. Since Charlie was just cleaned with a damp washcloth, she would be able to dry off on her own.

"To think, I was worried," Charlie told herself. "That wasn't so bad."

"For Pokémon, there's more than one way to bathe," said Emily. "You can rest and relax now while I'm giving Lumina and Salamando their baths. When we're done, we'll battle with our friends."

"But if we battle, we'll get dirty again," said Charlie.

"True, but I'll be happy to get you guys cleaned up again," said Emily.

"That's another thing I love about training sessions," Lumina whispered to Charlie. "There's nothing like taking a bath again after a warm-up battle."

Salamando chuckled and shook his head. "As you can see," he was telling Charlie, "Lumina's willing to go through warm-ups if it means being bathed and groomed in the end. But it's good she doesn't forget what she learns."

As Charlie was watching Lumina relaxingly enjoy her bath, she understood. The warm-ups would start out as hard, but they would be worthwhile based on the results and the rewards.

While Emily was tending to her Pokémon, Kaiba and Joey saw two Tyrogue sparring with each other. They grabbed each other's hands and were using their strength to push each other back. One Tyrogue threw his opponent down, but the other swung his leg to trip him up. The first Tyrogue got back on his feet and tried to land a punch, but his opponent caught his arm and they ended up hitting each other's head. Both Tyrogue grinned and shook hands, calling it even.

"They seem pretty tired out," Joey tells Kaiba. "Should we take this chance to capture them?"

"No," Kaiba answered. "They need to be weakened a little more." He tossed his Pokéball and called on Golbat. Joey called on his Bulbasaur. They were about to attack the two Pokémon, but the sparring partners saw them coming. They grabbed each other's hands and rolled towards Bulbasaur, knocking him in the other direction.

"They're friends, all right," Joey groaned, "based on the way they work together."

"That's what we need to do," said Kaiba. "We need to work together as a team in order to beat those Tyrogue."

Joey agreed. "Bulbasaur, don't charge in head-on by yourself. You and Golbat gotta work together."

"Golbat, you guys can attack together," said Kaiba. "Trust in each other." He pauses, then adds, "Trust in us."

Golbat nods at Kaiba, then suddenly starts glowing. Kaiba and Joey knew what this meant. He was evolving into Crobat. When the light dimmed, his body was round and purple and he had four wings.

"All right," Joey cheered. "Golbat's trust in you made it possible for him to evolve into Crobat."

Kaiba was just as amazed and thrilled. "Ready to do this?"

Joey smiled back. "Ready when you are."

Kaiba made the first move and commanded Crobat to fly towards the Tyrogue. They both kept their attention focused on Crobat, forgetting about Bulbasaur. He caught both Tyrogue in his Vine Whip and hit them against each other. The Tyrogue free their arms and begin using their strength to pull the vines. Now with their attention focused on Bulbasaur, they forgot about Crobat, who used his Wing Attack to knock them out.

Kaiba and Joey tossed their Pokéballs, capturing the Tyrogue. Both balls rotated thrice on the dirt and the centers glowed. Now the blonde and the brunette each got their own Tyrogue. However, Kaiba already had six Pokémon, meaning he had to send Tyrogue to Professor Oak. He decided to wait until he got to Celadon City before arranging an exchange.

At the same time, Yugi and Emily were battling. Charlie was pitted against Squirtle. Yugi warned Squirtle to be careful when using his water attacks so Charlie wouldn't be put in life-threatening danger. Squitle understood and decided to give it his best shot. Charlie trusted Squirtle and thought of him as her friend, but she braced herself all the same.

Squirtle made the first move by tucking in his shell and spinning around. Charlie tried holding Squirtle back by catching him in her arms, but the friction from all that spinning was burning her hands. She tossed him to the side and Squirtle crashed into a rock. Charlie launched her Flamethrower, but Squirtle defended himself by using Withdraw to hide in his shell. He began using Rapid Spin again to escape the fire and charge into Charlie. She lost her footing and crashed into a rock. She tried to get back up, but couldn't. Squirtle was the winner of this round.

As Yugi cheered, Squirtle suddenly started glowing, meaning he was evolving. Now he was larger with a darker skin tone and a white tail shaped like an ocean's wave. He was now a Wartortle.

Emily was glad that Yugi's Squirtle evolved into Wartortle, but she couldn't forget about Charlie. "Sorry, Emily," Charlie moaned. "I thought after all that training, maybe I'd have a chance even though I didn't have the type advantage."

Emily forgave her friend. "Training is hard, but that's why it's called training. You can't become a champion in an hour, but that's okay. Don't let it get you down, Charlie. You did your best today and I'm proud of you."

"You mean it?" Charlie asked.

Emily smiles and nods. "It doesn't matter if we win or lose. We always find new ways of making ourselves stronger every day. Even humans need to exercise once in a while and even we learn new lessons when it comes to school and we have new training methods for every new job we may work for. And while we can't have training for everything in life, that doesn't mean we can go a day in our lives without learning something new.

"So you see, Charlie, defeat isn't something to feel discouraged about. It can be seen as an opportunity. Though we may not always see it as so right away, but it does push us to think about how we can improve." Emily places her hand under her chin. "So chin up, okay?"

Charlie managed to smile and feel a little better. Though she didn't understand right away, she trusted in her trainer and knew she would come to understand her wisdom in time. It also gave her some confidence in wanting to face the Celadon gym leader. Emily admired her Pokémon's determination and agreed. Once they would reach their destination, they would stop at the Pokémon Center to get refreshed and challenge the gym leader.


	15. Pokemon Scent-sation

Pokémon Scent-sation

The heroes made it to Celadon City. As planned, Emily dropped her Pokémon off at the Pokémon Center to be taken care of so they would be refreshed and ready for their gym battle. While waiting for her Pokémon to be treated, Emily noticed many pleasant scents wafting through the area. They were all coming from the perfume shop nearby. She decided to check it out after her Pokémon were treated.

Nurse Joy called Emily over and told her that her Pokémon were doing very well. Emily gave Nurse Joy her thanks and started to head out.

"Ready to go to the Celadon gym?" Yugi asked.

Emily shakes her head. "I want to check something out first. Let's stop and enjoy our time while we're here."

Joey agreed. "We never seem to do that whenever we come to a new town. Yeah, let's relax."

Kaiba grinned and said, "Well, we do need to stock up on supplies anyway. And maybe we can get lunch."

So it was decided that the heroes would check out the city and meet back at the Pokémon Center.

As planned, Emily made it to the perfume shop. The scent of every enticing aroma filled her sinuses. Normally, she didn't care much for makeup and perfume, but the scents were pleasant. Some of the perfumes were even made from the essences of plant Pokémon.

One of the merchants sprayed some perfume on Emily's hand so she could sample its scent. It smelled like sunflowers and Emily imagined she was in a sunflower garden. This perfume was made from the essence of Sunflora. There was another made from the essence of Cherrim and it smelled like cherries. As Emily admired the scents, she wondered if her best friend Téa would like any of these perfumes. Unfortunately, these perfumes and incenses were expensive and she couldn't afford any right now. She left without buying anything.

Emily returned to the Pokémon Center and met up with her friends. Although they were able to get their errands done, they didn't find any place of interest. Being boys, they had no interest in perfume or cologne and that seemed to be the only thing the city was known for. Emily saw her friends' lack of interest and figured that it would be best to just get the gym battle over with.

When Emily got to the Celadon gym, she was surprised to see that the gym leader, Erika, was the same merchant from the shop. "Well, well," Erika greeted pleasantly. "This is a surprise."

"It sure is," Emily said in agreement. "I didn't realize you were also the gym leader."

Erika smiled. "Yes, not only am I the manager of the perfume shop you just visited, but I, Erika, am also the leader of this gym."

Emily smiled back. "Well then, Erika, I challenge you to a gym battle."

The girls took their positions at the arena. "I accept your challenge, Emily. I must as a gym leader, but I'm also happy to battle you for admiring the perfumes at my shop."

"They were pleasant," Emily admitted. "I just hope I didn't offend you when I couldn't afford anything."

Erika wasn't offended. "You enjoying them is satisfaction enough for me. But don't think I'll go easy on you."

"I don't expect you to," said Emily. "I won't be going easy on you either."

"Good," said Erika. "Let's battle!"

This would be a three on three battle and the match would be over when all three Pokemon on either side would be unable to continue battling. Emily, the challenger, was permitted to substitute Pokémon if necessary, but Erika was not. Erika chose Tangela as her first Pokémon. He looked like a mass of blue vines with red shoes and eyes peeking out from inside the vines. Emily chose Salamando as her first Pokémon. Salamando charged in using Flare Blitz. Tangela took the attack, but Salamando also received recoil damage after coming into contact with his opponent. While Salamando was recovering, Tangela used Stun Spore to render him paralyzed. Salamando couldn't move, but he could still attack from a distance. Weakly, he got back on his feet and used Flamethrower. Tangela fell in defeat.

Erika chose Weepinbell as her next Pokémon. It looked like a yellow plant-like cornucopia with pink lips and green leaves on its side. Emily didn't want Salamando to keep battling in his condition, so she withdrew him and called on Lumina to take his place. Weepinbell attacked with Razor Leaf, but Lumina intercepted with Swift, then attacked with Psychic. Since Weepinbell was a poison-type Pokémon as well as a grass-type, he took in a great deal of damage. Lumina finished him off with another Swift attack.

Erika saved the best for last. Her last Pokémon was Gloom. She was a blue plant with rogue bulbs with white spots on the top of her head and she also had a fowl-smelling sap dripping from her mouth. As if the smell from the sap wasn't bad enough, Gloom had the ability to release a putrid scent from her bulbs. The smell was too much for Lumina to handle. She fell flat on her stomach and placed both paws over her mouth and nose. Emily quickly called her back into her Pokéball.

Emily wasn't sure what to do. Salamando was still paralyzed and Gloom's odor would be too overwhelming for him, giving Gloom an easy victory. Charlie wouldn't be able to handle it either, but she was the only Pokémon left who could still battle. Then she got an idea.

"Choose your next Pokémon or you will forfeit," Erika declared.

"Careful what you wish for, Erika," Emily remarked. She tossed her Pokéball and called Charlie into battle. Gloom released her musky aroma once again. Charlie used Smokescreen. The smoke wouldn't be able to overpower the fowl aroma, but it would still obscure Charlie. She took a deep breath, ran out of the smoke and towards Gloom, and let out a mighty Flamethrower. Gloom fell back in defeat. Her aroma still filled the area, but Charlie needed to catch her breath. She placed her paws over her mouth to try to block the scent as she deeply inhaled and exhaled.

"Way to go, Charlie," Emily cheered. "You did it!"

Charlie turned around and began running towards Emily. As she did, she began glowing and getting bigger. When she finished evolving, Charlie jumped into Emily's arms and hugged her. "Emily," she laughed. "I didn't think I could do it. I didn't think I could handle that disgusting smell, but I did."

"You were so brave, Charlie," Emily said with praise. "So brave, it was possible for you to evolve into Charmeleon." They laughed and cheered together.

Erika approached Emily and congratulated her. "As proof of your victory, I present to you this Rainbow badge."

"Thanks, Erika," Emily says as she takes the badge. She raises it and cheers in triumph.

"It fits you perfectly," Kaiba commented. "A Rainbow badge for the Rainbow Duelist."

Emily chuckled in amusement. "After a tough battle like that, my Pokémon are going to need a thorough grooming."

"I can help you with that," Erika offered. "It's my specialty to make Pokémon look good as well as create great perfumes and incenses."

"That's very kind of you, Erika, but I'm afraid I can't pay you anything."

"I wasn't expecting anything," Erika insisted. "Think of it as a 'thank you' for a great battle."

Emily didn't want to take advantage of Erika's kindness, but if she insisted, then it would be impolite to refuse.

They left the gym and returned to Erika's perfume shop. While Salamando was being bathed, he was given a Cheri berry to cure his paralysis form Tangela's Stun Spore. A cool, wet washcloth was rubbed against Charlie to clean off the smoke and Gloom's spores and she was also sprayed with perfume to counter the smell. Lumina didn't like having to face Gloom's putrid aroma, but the best thing that came from it was being able to take a bath after the battle. As always, she felt relaxed as she sat in a tub of warm water and felt her body being massaged and scrubbed.

"Lumina's really enjoying this, isn't she," Erika asked as she was helping bathe her.

Emily nodded. "She's the daintiest and doesn't really like to get her paws dirty, but she'll do it if she means getting groomed like this in the end. So, yeah, she's a little spoiled and I have to reward her with a bath for a good job." Erika understood as she heard Lumina purr contentedly.

After Lumina got out of the bath and dried off, Erika decided to spoil her even more with some perfume. First, she sprayed some on Emily's hand so she could get a sample of its scent. Lumina sniffed Emily's hand and squealed in delight. It smelled of peach blossoms. A little bit of perfume was applied to Lumina's fur. Salamado saw how happy his sister looked, but said he was content with just having a bath.

"Thanks for all of your help, Erika," Emily said gratefully. "The Pokémon really enjoyed themselves."

Erika smiled and chuckled. "I had fun too. Now your Pokémon look clean and radiant." She holds a box out to Emily. "This is for you," she offered. "I know you said you couldn't afford any of the perfumes in my shop, so I wanted to give this to you as a gift for today. I had so much fun today after a great battle and helping you make your Pokémon look refreshed and lovely."

"Thank you, Erika," Emily said taking the box of perfume.

Sometimes, looks matter, but mostly when it comes to being clean and looking presentable. That's one way for people to bring out the beauty in themselves and in their Pokémon. Still, real character is always going to shine through in the end.


	16. Good Sports

Good Sports

Keeping Pokémon clean and healthy is one way for trainers to connect with them. That's how a Pokémon can sense how much they are cared for by their trainers. After letting their Pokémon out for some exercise and training, they boys began helping them feel rested and refreshed.

As Emily saw Joey training with his Tyrogue, she noticed a small capsule in his hand. "What's that you got there, Joey?"

He opens the capsule and two small tablets fall into his hand. "They're iron supplements," he answers. "I got these at the Pokémon Center before we left. Nurse Joy recommended them to build up Tyrogue's endurance." His Tyrogue takes the tablets and chews and swallows them.

"I got these protein supplements for my Tyrogue to build up his strength," Kaiba said, showing his friends his capsule. He finishes cleaning the sweat off his Pokémon and gives him a glass of water to help swallow the supplements.

"Do you guys think we could give our Pokémon some of those vitamin supplements too?" Yugi inquired.

"Sure," Joey answered. "I'm sure it'll be good for them."

Emily called for her friends' attention. "Hey, guys, come check this out." She showed them a poster announcing an event called the P1 Grand Prix, a tournament for fighting-type Pokémon and the first prize was a gold champion's belt.

"Kaiba, Joey, both of your guys' Tyrogue seem to be in pretty good shape. Why don't you enter them in the tournament?" Emily suggested.

The blonde and the brunette face each other. It seemed like a good idea. They had been training with their Pokémon and this tournament looked like it would be good for them. "Let's do it," Joey declared. "Then we'll decide whose Tyrogue is the best."

Kaiba grinned and asked, "Is that a challenge?"

Joey grinned back. "You bet it is."

The brunette scoffed and shook his head. "There's nothing to prove. Clearly my Tyrogue is stronger than yours. But I guess we'll have to let that be decided in the tournament."

"You're on, Kaiba," Joey barked, raising his fist.

Emily began to regret making her suggestion. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," she murmured. She remembered how Joey would always try to prove himself to Kaiba to earn his respect, but would always face defeat. But they were friends now and she hoped they would remember that.

Kaiba and Joey entered the tournament and registered their Tyrogue. The battlefield had the layout of a boxing arena, making it suitable for fighting-type Pokémon. As the tournament progressed, the blonde and the brunette noticed many fighting-type Pokémon like Machop, Machoke, Machamp, Primape, Makuhita, and Hawlucha. The battles were tough and their opponents were fierce, but the blonde and the brunette made it to the end.

Watching from the sidelines, Yugi and Emily were glad that their friends made it to the end, but they were also worried because they were facing each other. Kaiba and Joey had a good-natured rivalry between them, but Yugi and Emily hoped that they wouldn't let their pride get the better of them for their Pokémon's sake. Both Tyrogue had been sparring partners for a long time and Yugi and Emily didn't want Joey and Kaiba's rivalry to affect their friendship.

The truth was the grand prize didn't matter to Joey or Kaiba. Joey just wanted to prove his strength to Kaiba and earn his respect. Kaiba, on the other hand, thought it would be fun to crush Joey in a humiliating defeat for old time's sake.

The bell rang, signaling the start of the fight. Both Tyrogue charged at each other and grabbed hands. Though they were given orders by their trainers not to go easy on each other, they thought that maybe they could teach their trainers a lesson in good sportsmanship.

As they backed away from each other, both Tyrogue began glowing, but they were also undergoing different transformations as they were evolving. Joey's Tyrogue evolved into Hitmonchan, a Pokémon dressed in a fighter's outfit with boxing gloves over his hands. Kaiba's Tyrogue evolved into Hitmonlee, a cocoa brown Pokémon with a curvy body and long limbs.

"They evolved, but into different Pokémon," Joey observed. "I guess it must've been because of those supplements."

Kaiba agreed. "This just got interesting." He speaks up and asks Joey, "Ready to continue this battle?"

"You bet," Joey responded. "Bring it on!"

Hitmonchan charged at Hitmonlee with his fists raised. Hitmonlee caught his hands and threw him aside. After that, he unleashed his Blaze Kick, but Hitmonchan defended himself with Fire Punch. He held back his right hand and tried to jab his opponent with his left. Hitmonlee ducked and swung his leg over his opponent. Hitmonlee back flipped and landed on the ramp. After getting his momentum, Hitmonlee charged in with Hi Jump Kick. Hitmonchan saw him coming down in him and raised his arm to unleash Sky Uppercut.

Both Pokémon came into contact with each other and took in serious damage. They were both weakly standing with their weight on one leg. Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan looked at each other as they were panting. They smiled and winked at each other, then fell over. When they both touched the floor, they weakly pounded their hands together.

Everyone watching from the sidelines was astonished. They had never seen such sportsmanship nor has the tournament ever resulted in a draw. Kaiba and Joey both accepted the prize of the Pokémon belt and raised it above their heads. Like their Pokémon, they smiled at each other and shook hands.

"Have they finally earned each other's respect?" Emily asked.

"I think they've always had each other's respect," Yugi told her.

"That's right," said Joey. "Being rivals is all good fun."

Kaiba agreed. "I admire Wheeler's determination, but I also believe he can do better."

"Is that really why you torment him?" Emily asked.

Kaiba shrugged and replied, "Sometimes. Mostly it's for fun."

"Whatever it's for, I always have a reason to want to prove my strength," said Joey. "In the end, I have Kaiba to thank for pushing me to be my best. And I think we also have our Pokémon to thank for reminding us the true nature of our fights. At times, we're rivals trying to prove something, but we're also friends helping each other on the way."

"That's right," Kaiba said in agreement. "I help Wheeler push himself to be his best and he helps me to remember to have fun. And our Pokémon have always had each other's respect as well. They've been sparring partners for a long time helping each other to become stronger. And after every fight, they stay friends. That's why we have to thank them for helping us remember that lesson."

Yugi and Emily were glad things turned out that way for their friends. "But what are you going to do with the belt?" Emily wondered. "You can't both have it."

"Wheeler can have it," Kaiba insisted.

Joey was surprised. "Are you sure?"

He was. "I'm not too interested in it. It's not my style of decorating and wouldn't have a place in my home. Why don't you keep it as a souvenir?"

Joey was thrilled to hear that. "Thanks, pal."

"Don't mention it," said Kaiba. He really didn't want Joey to mention Kaiba's act of kindness. He always felt embarrassed when people talked about his sensitive side. Joey promised not to boast about him when people would ask about the prize.

Rivalry isn't always a bad thing. It can be good once the rivals come to accept each other as friends helping each other out in their own way. And by accepting each other's differences, they become pleased with the end results. There will still be pride, boasting, and gloating, but in due time, there will also be understanding of each other's feelings.


	17. Thundering Dynamo

Thundering Dynamo

The next town with a gym was Fuchsia City. Yugi and his friends had to cross the mountain to reach the city. On the way, they noticed lightning flashing in the distance. This was unusual because there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The only explanation was that there was a Pokémon battle going on and one of them had to be an electric Pokémon.

To protect their vision from the lightning flash, Yugi and his friends each wore a pair of sunglasses. As they were climbing higher above the mountain, the lightning flash was getting greater, meaning they were getting closer to the Pokémon.

It turned out the Pokémon responsible for the lightning was a small yellow creature with black stripes called Elekid. He was waving his arms around and yelling.

"Talk about letting it all out," Joey commented.

"I wonder why that Elekid is so upset," said Yugi.

"I can think of one thing," Joey suggested. "Its body is overcharged with electricity. When electric Pokémon become overcharged like that, they go wild."

"If that's the case, then we need to help Elekid release all that stored up electricity," said Emily.

Joey decided to be the one to do it. He called on Ampharos and Phanpy. Being a ground-type Pokémon, Phanpy was resistant to electric attacks. And since Ampharos was an electric Pokémon too, she could absorb the electricity emanating from Elekid's body. Phanpy charged in and used Rollout to hit Elekid against the mountain. Ampharos caught Elekid and held him down as she began taking in his electricity.

"Won't Ampharos become overcharged too if she takes in all that electric power?" Emily wondered.

"She should be able to handle it," Joey assumed. "She's much bigger and stronger." He was right. Ampharos had more endurance and was able to withstand the electrical buildup. She even used Thunder to release it.

"No way!" Joey gasped in astonishment. "Ampharaos couldn't use Thunder before now."

"It must've been from building up all that electricity," Yugi assumed. "Elekid was too full of it to use his own electric attacks to release it, but Ampharos was able to do so before it got to be too much for her."

"I think Elekid is starting to feel better," said Emily. Her friends looked closer and saw that she was right. Elekid finally calmed down and Ampharos was feeling just as great.

Joey approached Elekid. "Are you feeling better, Elekid?" The little Pokémon nodded. Joey was glad to hear it. "Feels good to let it all out, doesn't it? Now I know why it's not good to keep too much of one feeling contained. If you keep letting it build up inside of you, you're gonna explode."

Elekid understood and laughed. He jumped in front of Joey and began waving his arms around.

"Hey, hey, take it easy, Elekid, we just got you all fixed up," Joey warned.

Yugi understood Elekid's behavior. "Joey, I think Elekid wants to battle to make sure his electric power has been stabilized."

Joey agreed. Elekid may be feeling better, but it's best to battle just to be safe. He called Ampharos back into her Pokéball and decided to battle with Phanpy. Elekid made the first move by attacking with Thundershock, but Phanpy didn't feel a thing. Based on the magnitude of Elekid's attack, Joey saw that it was normal. Elekid seemed pretty pleased with it too. Phanpy used Rollout again and bowled Elekid over. Elekid tried to slow him down with Thunder Punch. Phanpy stopped in his tracks and used Earthquake. The entire vicinity began to shake and Elekid lost his footing and fell down.

Joey tossed a Pokéball to capture Elekid. The Pokémon got drawn inside and the ball began to rotate. After the third rotation, the center glowed red, signaling that the capture was a success. The problem was Joey already had six Pokémon, so Elekid had to be sent back to Professor Oak's lab. Joey decided to call Professor Oak once he and his friends would reach Fuchsia City. Much to their luck, the heroes were already within the city's reach.


	18. Greater Importance

Greater Importance

Fuchsia City didn't look like anything the heroes expected. It looked almost like Ecruteak City with the traditional architecture and it was hard to identify the gym. Inside its walls, the structure looked like a giant Japanese restaurant or bathhouse.

Kaiba checked the layout of the city on the map. "According to our map, the gym should be right in front of us."

"This whole building?" Joey asked. "It sure doesn't look it."

"Remember what I always say: don't be fooled by what you see," Emily reminded him.

Yugi remembered. "First impressions can be deceiving. Let's look around."

The heroes walked in through the door and began calling out in hopes of getting answers from someone. When they didn't hear a response, they assumed that the place was vacant. "Doesn't look like anyone's here," Joey said, leaning against the wall. Suddenly, the wall rotated and he cried out in surprise.

His friends reacted in shock. "A trap door," gasped Emily. Yugi gently touched the door to make it move again. He made sure it was slightly ajar so Joey could rejoin his friends.

"We should get out of here," Kaiba suggested. "I really don't like surprises. And I hate trick rooms even more."

Just then, a round purple Pokémon with large red eyes and thin silver antennae appeared before them. Emily checked her Pokédex. The Pokémon was identified as Venonat. "What are you all doing here?" Venonat asked.

Emily decided to be the one to explain since she was the only one who could understand Pokémon. "We're looking for the Fuchsia gym. Can you help us?"

"This is a ninja training camp and I must report all intrusions," Venonat answered and began hopping away.

"I agree with Kaiba," Emily said as she watched Venonat leave. "We should get out of here before we get into any more trouble."

They left the building, but before they could pass through the gate, ninja stars fell and landed at their feet. "So you're the intruders I was warned about," said a woman's voice. From a nearby tree jumped a girl with dark green hair tied up behind her and light green eyes. She was also dressed in an electric pink ninja outfit. "Who are you and what is your purpose here?"

"My name is Emily and I've come to challenge the Fuchsia City gym leader," the blonde girl answered.

The ninja grinned. "Before you can challenge the master, you must prove yourself by facing me, Aya."

"If that's what I have to do," Emily shrugged.

Both girls took their positions at the arena. In this match, they would both use one Pokémon and the match would be over when either Pokémon was defeated. Aya chose her Venonat and Emily chose Lumina. Venonat made the first move by unleashing Stun Spore. Lumina became paralyzed by its effect, but thanks to her special ability synchronize, Venonat got paralyzed too. Lumina wouldn't be able to move around, but she could still attack from afar. She used Swift followed by Psychic. Venonat fell back in defeat.

With Aya defeated, Emily was permitted to face the gym leader. Before she could, however, she had to take care of Lumina first. She gave her a Cheri berry to remedy her paralysis and she also took out her brush to clean the spores off her fur.

Suddenly, a puff of smoke appeared before the heroes. When the smoke cleared, another ninja appeared standing before everybody. His outfit was blue and he had darker hair standing up on his head. "Your skills need sharpening," he lectured Aya. "You still have much to learn about the art of the ninja."

Aya bowed before her master. "Forgive me, Koga."

Koga turned his attention to Emily. "I must say, young lady, I am impressed. I witnessed how you used your Pokémon's abilities to your advantage in achieving victory. However, just as you used your opponent's attack against them, your Pokémon's ability can in turn be used against you."

Emily nodded in acknowledgement. "I guess I was a little reckless."

Koga looked at Lumina as she was rubbing herself against Emily's legs. "But it seems you have a strong bond with your Espeon and she too, has a strong will. She endured to the end to bring you to victory. And rather than celebrate one victory, you were more concerned about your Pokémon's well-being."

"Well, I couldn't force her to keep battling in her condition," Emily replied.

Koga grinned. "I admire your sense of dedication, young lady. And for that, I, Koga, would be happy to accept your challenge. We will battle with two Pokémon and the first opponent to defeat both Pokémon will be declared the winner. Do you accept these terms?"

"I do," Emily replied. She and Koga took their positions at the arena. Emily withdrew Lumina to let her rest after battling with Aya. She sent Charlie into battle as her first Pokémon. Koga chose Venomoth, Venonat's evolved form. Venomoth glided above Charlie and released his Stun Spore. Charlie got down on the ground and began spinning, sending sparks of fire in the air. The embers came into contact with Venomoth's wings, burning him. Charlie still became paralyzed by coming into contact with Stun Spore. Venomoth started gliding towards Charlie again. This time, to unleash Sleep Powder. Unable to move, Charlie knew she would become drowsy. She inhaled sharply and ducked her head and covered her face. Venomoth was coming back. Charlie saw him coming and unleashed Flamethrower. Venomoth fell in defeat, but Charlie couldn't continue either. She collapsed with exhaustion.

Emily praised Charlie and withdrew her so she could rest. She chose Lumina as her second Pokémon. Koga withdrew Venomoth and chose Crobat as his second Pokémon. Feeling better after her last battle, Lumina was ready for more action.

Crobat used Screech, causing a deafening sound to fill the area and forcing everyone to cover their ears. It was painful for Lumina because her hearing was sensitive. She fell to the ground and placed her paws over her ears to block the sound. This was bad because as long as her ears were covered, she couldn't hear Emily's commands. Crobat swooped down and used Poison Fang, piercing Lumina with his fangs and poisoning her. Lumina's ability didn't work on Crobat because poison-type effects couldn't be used against Pokémon of the same type.

Lumina got back on her feet, but the poison was still running its course through her body, making it hard for her to stand. She used Swift to attack from afar. Crobat was unable to escape and got hit. He tried to regain his flight, but Lumina used Psychic to stop him. Crobat fell to the ground in defeat.

Rather than celebrate her victory, Emily immediately turned her attention to Lumina. Koga joined her. "You needn't worry. Lumina will be fine once her poisoning has been treated. Do you have anything for treatment?"

Emily reached into her bag and pulled out a Pecha berry. Knowing Lumina will be too weak to chew, Emily decided to crush it into juice. Koga added a little bit of his own medicine. "This medicine is bitter, but mixed with the Pecha berry juice should counter the taste. It will also treat the poisoning," Koga explained. He also gave Emily another treatment. "Use this Full Heal on Charlie to treat her paralysis. It will also treat the effects of Venomoth's Sleep Powder."

"Thank you, Koga," Emily said gratefully. She places the dish close to Lumina. She rejects it because of the bitter aroma, but Emily encourages her to drink it. "You need to take this medicine, Lumina. If you don't, you're going to get worse." Sensing Emily's concern, Lumina gathered her strength and began drinking the medicine. The first taste caused her to gag and spit, but she braced herself and continued. Emily gently stroked her fur and began tending the bite marks on Lumina's body.

When Lumina finished taking her medicine, she curled up into a ball and fell asleep. Emily manages to smile. "Rest well, Lumina. You deserve it," she said softly and called her back into her Pokéball. It was time to take care of Charlie. She was still feeling weak from the effects of Venomoth's attack, but thanks to the Full Heal, she was cured of Paralysis and she wasn't feeling drowsy anymore.

Emily approaches Koga and bows before him. "I can't thank you enough for your help, Master Koga."

Koga smiles and rubs her head. "You are more deserving of praise than I, Emily. Your Pokémon brought you to victory in our battle, yet you made that of little value. Their health was of greater importance to you. I see how much you truly care about your Pokémon."

"There are more important things in life than achieving victory, Master," said Emily. "Because it's not always about me; it's about those who fight for me."

"Such wisdom and compassion," Koga was saying, "is a great combination that will take one far as a ninja and a Pokémon trainer. For that, young one, you are deserving of this Soul badge." He opens a small scroll, revealing the badge. Emily takes the badge and cheers in triumph.

Yugi smiled and sighed. Emily had a big heart and he loved that about her.


	19. Born to Ride

Born to Ride

Lumina was sent back to the rescue farm to recuperate. Salamando was worried about his sister and didn't want to be left by himself, so he asked to go home to his parents and siblings. Emily understood and sent him back to the farm with Lumina. At the same time, Joey exchanged Ampharos for Elekid and Yugi sent Noctowl and Meganium back to Professor Oak as well.

It seemed like it had been a long time since the heroes took a break, so they decided to relax for a while at the Safari Zone. This game preserve was well protected by rangers and the Pokémon were safe from poachers. Trainers were permitted to capture Pokémon, but only in designated areas. The rangers guided the group to an area where they could capture Pokémon. Since it was a game preserve, trainers were forbidden to battle with Pokémon. They were also required to use Safari balls for catching Pokémon.

While exploring the Safari Zone, Yugi caught a Scyther and Joey caught a Rhyhorn. Since Joey already had six Pokémon, he had to make an exchange. He sent Phanpy back to Professor Oak in exchange for Rhyhorn.

With their game complete, the heroes had finally left the wilderness and came to a nearby city. Being in the open forests and meadows for so long made it feel a little strange to be back in civilization, but now that they were here, Yugi and his friends could run their errands such as stocking up on supplies and getting their clothes washed.

In the distance was a bridge that crossed the sea and reached Sunny Town on the other shore. The bridge was ten miles long and there was even a path for cyclists. Emily wanted to go home and get her bike right away, so she found a path to the Secret Garden, took the door to her world, got her bicycle, returned to the Garden, passed through the door to the Pokémon world, and met up with her friends.

"I can't believe you actually did that," Kaiba said in astonishment.

"I've really missed riding my bike," said Emily, tying her hair back and putting on her helmet. "Now I can bring it with me to the other worlds when I need to get around."

"And what are we supposed to do?" Kaiba asked. "We don't have bikes."

"We can't afford them at the shop either," said Joey.

"Maybe we can rent them," Yugi suggested, pointing at the bike stand near the gate. There was a stand where travelers could rent bikes to cross the bridge and drop them off once they would reach their destinations. Travelers who needed to go the opposite way could use the same bikes that had been dropped off.

The boys rented their bicycles and even got helmets. As the heroes began riding, Emily cheered. "Isn't this great?" she asked her friends. "The wind in your face, the thrill of cycling?"

"Yeah, this sure beats walking every day," said Joey. "When we get back to our world, remind me to save up my money to buy my own bicycle."

"I'm going to get my own too," said Kaiba.

After riding for an hour, they heroes came to a stop where they could check out the view. There were also some vending machines where they could get drinks and rehydrate.

Joey gulped down his water and exhaled sharply. "What a great workout."

Kaiba agreed. "I should really get out and do this more often."

"Cycling is the best way to get around in my opinion," said Emily. She didn't own a car. In fact, she didn't even know how to drive. Cycling seemed to be the most practical mode of transportation for her. Not only was it good for cardio, but there was also no pollution involved. The only energy being burned was from the body. Also, for Emily, having no car meant not having to pay for fuel and insurance.

Too bad not everybody could follow her example. Cycling wasn't practical for most people. Automobiles were important when it came to road trips and emergencies. Emily still understood and respected that matter and her friends respected her ways. They agreed that since she really enjoyed cycling, she was born to ride.

After finishing their drinks and catching their breath, Yugi and his friends were ready to get back on the road. Suddenly, they heard hooting and hollering from riders coming their way. When the heroes saw the tacky clothes the other riders sported, they knew that these guys were a biker gang.

One rider named Colin approached the heroes. "You guys just passing through here?"

Emily gulped and replied, "Yes. We were just leaving, in fact."

"You can't leave yet," said another biker named Lori. "Not without a proper introduction."

"And by introduction, we mean a Pokémon battle," said another biker named Erick.

The last biker, Seamus, removed his sunglasses. "So what do you say?"

Emily immediately accepted. "My Pokémon sure could use a workout too." She tossed her Pokéball and called on Shelly. Colin decided to be her opponent. The Pokémon he chose was Lickitung. Lickitung extended his tongue towards Shelly to lick her. Shelly tucked inside her shell and began rotating around Lickitung. Lickitung used his tongue to stop Shelly and grab her. As he was about to put her him his mouth, Shelly unleashed her Water Gun in his face. Lickitung released her and began gasping for air. Shelly tucked in her shell again and used Skull Bash to knock him over. Lickitung fell in defeat.

As Emily was cheering for her victory, Shelly began glowing. She was evolving into Wartortle. When she finished evolving, Emily approached Shelly to hug her. "You were amazing, Shelly!"

Colin withdrew his Pokémon and Seamus stepped in. The Pokémon he chose was Tauros. Yugi wanted to take him on. The Pokémon he chose was Abra. His friends were confused and didn't understand why he would chose that Pokémon, but Yugi assured them he had a plan.

Seamus commanded Tauros to use Take Down, but every time the wild bull charged, Abra teleported away and Tauros crashed into the walls. Taking in all that recoil damaged caused Tauros to weaken himself. As he was recovering, Abra began evolving into Kadabra. Now that he had evolved, he had learned new attacks. Tauros began charging in again, but Kadabra stopped him using Flash. The light temporarily blinded Tauros and he crashed again. With his vision irritated, Tauros had a hard time understanding his surroundings. Kadabra attacked with Confusion. Unable to take anymore, Tauros fell in defeat.

Seamus withdrew his Pokémon and Lori stepped in. The Pokémon she chose was Yanmega, a large green dragonfly-like Pokémon with red eyes. Kaiba decided to be her opponent. The Pokémon he chose was Charmander. Yanmega used Supersonic to confuse Charmander and Screech to lower his defenses. Charmander got down on his chest and lifted his tail in the air, causing the flame on his tail to burn brightly.

"It looks like Charmander's special ability kicked in," said Kaiba.

"Special ability?" echoed Joey.

"Blaze," Emily explained. "When Charmander's in trouble and down to a last resort, his firepower is raised to maximum power."

Now that Charmader was fired up, Kaiba was ready to use it to his advantage. He commanded Charmander to spin and release embers. The sparks went flying and came into contact with Yanmega's wings, burning him. Yanmega unleashed Ancient Power, but Charmander slashed through the rocks with Metal Claw. As he broke through, he unleashed his Flamethrower on Yanmega. The bug Pokemon was scorched and no longer able to battle.

When the battle ended, Charmader began evolving into Charmeleon. He approached his trainer and they jumped and high-fived each other.

Joey and Erick were the last trainers of their groups. The blonde chose Elekid and the biker chose Sandslash. Joey was in trouble. Ground-type Pokémon were resistant to electric attacks and electric Pokémon were weak against ground-type attacks. One good thing was that there was no earth in the bridge and Sandslash couldn't dig through it anyway because of the possible damages he would cause to the bridge.

The Pokémon were going to have to battle head-on. Sandslash used Crush Claw and Elekid used Karate Chop. Maybe electric attacks had no effect on ground-type Pokémon, but their abilities still did. By coming into physical contact with Elekid, Sandslash became paralyzed. Sandslash began throwing sand in Elekid's face. He tried to raise his claws to attack again, but he was too numb. After getting most of the sand out of his face, Elekid used Karate Chop again. Sandslash couldn't take any more in the condition he was in, so Erick immediately called his Pokémon back.

When the bike gang finally realized who their opponents were, their attitude changed. They started out as tough as leather, but started showing respect for the trainers they battled. "We had no idea you guys really were the famous champions of Duel Monsters," said Lori. "Sorry if we scared you when we got all tough."

Colin apologized too. "When you're part of a bike gang like we are, sometimes you can take yourself a little too serious."

Emily understood and told them it was all okay. "It was still great battling you guys. Our Pokémon enjoyed themselves too. We're glad you guys showed up."

"I had negative vibes about you when you showed up," Joey admitted, "but you turned out to be kinda cool."

"We may be cool, but you guys are awesome," said Lori. "And we'd be happy to make sure you guys finish crossing the bridge safely."

Seamus agreed. "We've met our share of cyclists and they can be pretty mean. We're really nice on the inside and show it to those who've earned our respect, but those guys aren't like that. But we'll make sure you don't have to deal with them if you'll let us."

Yugi and his friends thought it over. They figured it would be a good idea to ride with Colin and his friends.

On the way, Emily figured that Colin and the others did turn out to be cool. They started out mean and intimidating, but after earning the respect of the bike gang, Emily and her friends weren't intimidated anymore. People really can be nice once you've earned their respect. And those battles really proved that the bikers just wanted to have fun rather than show off.

With the help of the bike gang, Yugi and his friends safely made it to the other shore. "Thanks for your help," Yugi told them with much appreciation.

"No problem," said Colin. "If you guys ever cross this bridge again, maybe we can battle again."

"Or just hang around as friends," Erick suggested.

"We'll always be on the bridge," said Seamus.

"We got a lot of respect for you and your friends, Yugi," Lori told him. "We may be a gang, but we're still nice guys on the inside. And we like good kids like you and your friends. So if you're ever in the area and ever need help, let us know and we'll be there."

Colin agreed. "You're like one of us now, Yugi, and that means we gotta look out for you and your friends too according to our code."

"What's the code?" Yugi asked.

Colin smiled and said, "It's the same for all gangs, social groups, clubs, and friends: we look out for each other."

Yugi smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Colin." And both boys shook hands.

"Good luck in your endeavors, Emily," Lori told her. "We'll be cheering for you on your journey to the Pokémon league."

"Thanks, Lori," Emily said, and the girls shook hands.

After saying their goodbyes and dropping off their bikes, the heroes decided to find a place to spend the night.

"This was a pretty cool day," Joey said as he stretched. "We got a good workout riding our bikes, we met some bikers who turned out to be cool, our Pokémon got some exercise and even evolved."

"And now we have new friends," said Yugi.

Emily smiled and agreed. "As the old saying goes: All's well that ends well." Her friends laughed and agreed.


	20. Pikachu, I Choose You

Pikachu, I Choose You

A few days after cycling the bridge had passed and now the heroes were relaxing in a quiet spot next to a river. Emily was climbing trees to pick the berries that were too high to reach. She had to be careful because some wild Pokémon liked to hide in the trees and eat the berries too. Below her, Yugi was holding a basket to catch the berries. Taking careful aim, she dropped the berries in the basket.

One of the berries hit the rim of the basket and tumbled away. As Yugi was about to retrieve it, a wild Pikachu came out of a nearby shrub and approached the berry. Yugi and Pikachu looked at each other. Yugi knew that this wasn't Ash's Pikachu because the hair on this Pikachu's head was ruffled. One would think he almost looked like Yugi because of the way his hair stuck out.

"Hi there," Yugi said softly. Pikachu grabbed the berry and ran back into the shrub. "Hey, wait a minute," Yugi called.

"What is it, Yugi?" Emily asked as she climbed down.

"There was a Pikachu," he answered.

That got Kaiba and Joey's attention. "Pikachu," the blonde asked. "In this neck of the woods?"

"Where is it now?" Kaiba asked.

"He ran off in that direction," Yugi said, pointing to the bushes. He led the way and his friends followed him.

They looked over the bushes and were amazed to see so many Pichu and Pikachu. The Pichu were running around in play. Some were even riding on the backs of adult Pikachu. Females were grooming each other and some were even having romantic lunches with their mates. Mother Pikachu were even feeding and grooming their Pichu children.

"I've never seen so many Pikachu in one place," said Kaiba.

Yugi was keeping his eye out for the Pikachu he saw earlier. He found him giving his berry to one of the Pichu. "I wonder if they're related," he asked himself. "Or maybe they're just friends." There was another Pikachu standing next to Pichu. This one was a female based on the shape of the end of her tail. She also wore a pink flower next to her ear. She thanked Pikachu for his kindness and began taking Pichu with her.

"Looks like that Pikachu's got a crush," Joey teased.

"What makes you so sure?" Kaiba asked.

"Girls can't resist a guy who's great with kids," Joey answered. "And based on the way he was spoiling Pichu, I can see he was trying to make a good impression for his dream girl."

Emily had a different opinion. "Maybe he was just helping out a friend by looking after her baby or sibling."

Yugi wanted to get a closer look, but he accidently stepped on a twig. The sound of the twig snapping got the Pikachu's attention and they looked at Yugi in alarm. The Pikachu and Pichu began to flee into the trees.

Joey wanted to go after them, but Emily grabbed him and pulled him back. "Don't do that," she scolded. "You're just going to scare them even more." Joey was upset, but he knew she was right. Even Yugi was disappointed, but mostly with himself. He blamed himself for frightening them. The heroes returned to the river, unaware that they were being followed.

"Why would those Pokémon be afraid of us?" Joey asked. "We wouldn't do anything to hurt them."

"They don't know that," said Kaiba. "They're wild Pokémon and it's likely they haven't had much contact with humans."

"Kaiba's right," Yugi said in agreement. "I wouldn't want to do anything they might consider threatening."

Just then, they heard a rustling noise. They turned around and saw a Pikachu slowly coming out of the shrub. Yugi recognized that it was the same Pikachu from before. "It's you again." Pikachu just looked at him in curiosity. Yugi got an idea. He pulled a berry out from the basket and held it towards Pikachu. "Do you want something to eat?"

Pikachu backed away in fright, but when he saw the berry in Yugi's hand, he slowly moved forward and sniffed the berry. He got up on his hind legs and extended his right arm to take the berry. He took a bite, swallowed, and squealed in delight.

Yugi smiled and chuckled. "It's good, right?" Pikachu nodded. "I noticed how you gave one to Pichu earlier. Is that your friend?" Pikachu nodded again. Then he turned around and called for his friends. The same Pikachu and Pichu came out and cautiously approached Yugi. He gave them some berries too and they began happily eating.

It turned out that these two Pikachu grew up together and were good friends. The Pichu was the younger sister of the girl and Pikachu liked helping take care of her and play with her.

Pichu began running around playfully and she even jumped on the heroes' laps and climbed on their backs. Emily gently petted her sister and Yugi began petting the male.

Kaiba was intrigued. He had learned that Pikachu and Pichu were timid and didn't warm up to people easily and was amazed to see everyone getting along so well.

Emily took the basket of berries into her hands. "Why don't we give these berries to the other Pikachu and Pichu? That will show them that we're friendly." Her friends agreed and so did the Pokémon.

They returned to the field where they saw everyone playing. Pikachu and his friends approached the others and assured them that the humans meant no harm and wanted to show it. Pikachu gestured for Yugi and his friends to come closer. Emily took a handful of berries and laid some down on the grass. Some Pikachu cautiously approached, sniffed the berries, and happily began eating. The mothers who were holding their children back finally felt relaxed and let their children go.

Happy that the Pikachu and Pichu finally accepted them, Yugi and his friends began singing.

_Pikachu, you know that you're the one, so I choose you_

_There's no one else I'd rather have here by my side_

_And you can help me win this fight_

_Because we need to face the challenge that's ahead_

_Pikachu, you know there is no other, I choose you_

_Because you are my brother in this game we play_

_And if we have to go all day so we can leave the other masters far behind_

Emily began singing, _I've been training all my life, waiting all this time for this moment to arrive_

_And now that it's here, I don't have the fear, 'cause there's nothing left to hide_

_It's me and you and there's nothing we can't do_

'_Cause in the Pokémon world, even masters have to learn they will always find something new_

Her friends repeated the chorus and the Pichu and Pikachu began dancing to the song.

_I will never doubt the dream as long as you're with me_, continued Emily, _I know we can reach the top_

_We're the greatest team this game has ever seen and we'll never, ever stop_

When the song ended, Yugi and his friends were ready to get back on the road. Before they could, however, the same Pikachu from earlier came up from behind them and called them. Yugi approached him and knelt down. "We have to go now, Pikachu. Thanks for having us stay and play with you and your friends." Pikachu squealed as Yugi rubbed his head and scratched his chin. "Take care of yourself. Say 'goodbye' to your friends for us."

Just then, the same Pikachu and Pichu from before came and stood next to their friend. Pikachu was surprised to see them and asked them what they were doing. The female told him she understood that he liked Yugi and suggested that he should go with them. Pikachu knew she was right, but he didn't want to because it meant leaving her and her sister forever. Pichu loved Pikachu and said she would be sad and missed him if he left, but she also said it was okay because they would always be friends. Pikachu kissed her friend and told him to go with Yugi.

Suddenly, all of the Pikachu and Pichu came for their comrade. They were all cheering, encouraging him to follow his heart. Happiness began to build up inside of Pikachu. He thanked his friends, said 'goodbye', and ran up to Yugi.

Yugi caught Pikachu in his arms. "Pikachu, do you want to come with me?" In answer, Pikachu nodded and squealed. Yugi laughed and cheered with glee. "All right! I've got a new friend and it's Pikachu!"

His friends cheered for him. "Way to go, Yugi," said Emily.

Joey agreed. "Pikachu's the right Pokémon for ya, pal. He's the hero's Pokémon and since you're a hero, it's fitting that you should have him." He smiled and cried out, "Eat your heart out, Ash, 'cause Yugi's got a Pikachu too!" His friends laughed at the matter. They even wondered how Ash was doing and hoped he was well.


	21. Everything Changes

Everything Changes

Continuing their journey, Yugi and his friends have stopped for a short break. The boys decided to tend to their Eevee for the while. Yugi let his Eevee relax near a small lake. "Don't drink too much cold water or you're going to get a headache," Yugi warned his Pokémon. Eevee barked in acknowledgement. After satisfying his thirst, Eevee dunked his head in the water to cool off. Yugi laughed at the sight.

Joey and his Eevee were running around in play. They were playing tug-of-war with a stick. Joey managed to successfully take it from Eevee and began leading him on a chase. He threw the stick into the lake and Eevee jumped into the water to retrieve it. With the stick in his teeth, Eevee began swimming back to Joey. He came back to shore and shook the water off his fur.

Kaiba was grooming his Eevee while he was eating. He brushed the dirt off his fur and even got it out from his paws. Eevee's food also had some protein supplements added to build up his strength. Joey's Eevee was coming towards them and wasn't even watching. As he got closer, Kaiba's Eevee got up in alert and barked at him, telling him to watch out. Startled, Joey's Eevee yelped and backed away.

"Will you guys watch what you're doing?" Kaiba scolded. "You nearly made a mess."

"Sorry about that," said Joey. "But your Eevee didn't have to snap at mine."

Kaiba began stroking his Eevee's fur. "He had the right idea. I was about to do the same thing and tell you to control your Pokémon."

"I think it's your Eevee who needs the attitude adjustment," Joey countered. "Then again, you guys are perfect for each other, considering how temperamental you both are."

As Emily watched her friends argue, she thought about what Joey said. She figured that maybe she did choose wisely in picking the Eevee that were right for her friends. Yugi's Eevee was calm and collected like he was, Joey's Eevee was lively and enthusiastic like he was, and Kaiba's Eevee had a bit of a temper like he did. She figured that their similarities in their personalities helped them to understand each other and get along.

To break up the argument, Emily spoke up and changed the subject. "Have any of you guys decided what you want your Eevee to evolve into?" The boys looked at her. "You've been traveling with your Eevee since we left the farm and you've been battling almost every trainer we encountered with them."

"We just want to help them gain more battling experience before they evolve," said Joey. "Staying as Eevee for this long has helped build up their speed, strength, and defenses."

"And they can't gain that same experience by just evolving right away," Yugi added. "Remember when Lt. Surge said he evolved his Pikachu into Raichu right away? He was sluggish because he wasn't able to build up his speed which he could only do as a Pikachu."

Kaiba agreed. "We know our Eevee are strong enough to evolve now, but we want them to evolve in their own time. Force isn't the right way and I learned that long ago. Plus, they may already know what they want to evolve into and want to do it at the right time."

Emily was astonished at what she was hearing. Her friends were being very understanding of their Pokémon. It was true. With the many possible evolutionary forms Eevee has, the Eevee may have their own ideas of what they want to evolve into. It's just sad that not many trainers take that into consideration and only evolve their Pokémon into what they want them to evolve into. It's hard on the Pokémon because once evolution has progressed, there's no way to reverse it. Some Pokémon aren't even satisfied with their evolutions and are forced to embrace it.

Emily was pleased to hear that her friends felt that way. "You guys are absolutely right. Like people, Pokémon need to go through changes at their own pace. And we, their trainers, have to respect that and be patient with them. That's the natural progression." Thinking about it made her start singing.

_Your heart's beating around the clock_

_Time ticking away, it doesn't stop_

_Evolution is taking place_

_The world is spinning and changing every day_

_Everything you think of with a name_

_There isn't anything in life that ever stays the same_

_Everything changes, changes, things are changing constantly_

_Everything changes, changes, it's evolutionary_

_Everything changes, changes_

_Changing over time, playing with your mind_

_Modify or rearrange, everything has got to change_

Joey spoke up and began singing. _You take a chance, you throw the dice_

_You risk it all, it's just a part of life_

Yugi took his turn and sang, _You hold on tight to what you know_

_You can't hold back, you've got to let it go_

Kaiba took his turn and sang, _Every little step that you embrace_

_One road ends, another begins and takes you to a better place_

They continued singing until they came to Stone Town at the foot of Evolution Mountain; so called because evolutionary stones were often excavated there by the miners. Emily remembered that she found and collected some evolutionary stones on her journey and figured the townspeople there would like to have her stones. Maybe they also collected Mega Stones and would also be interested in her collection.

Her assumption was correct. There were evolutionary stones of all kinds and there were also some Mega Stones. Emily exchanged her Beedrillite and Pinsirite for Venusaurite and Blastoisionite. Now Ivy and Shelly would be able to Mega Evolve once they would reach their final stages of evolution.

As the boys were admiring the evolutionary stones, their Eevee leaped from their arms and looked at them in admiration. Yugi's Eevee touched a Water Stone and evolved into Vaporeon, Kaiba's Eevee touched a Fire Stone and Evolved into Flareon, and Joey's Eevee touched a Thunder Stone and evolved into Jolteon.

The boys were amazed. It turned out their Eevee did know what they wanted to evolve into after all. And based on their personalities, the evolutionary forms they chose were fitting, so there were no complaints. Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba accepted that these were the evolutionary forms their Pokémon wanted and they were happy. And the best part was, they evolved into what they wanted to at their own time.


	22. Seeds of Power

Seeds of Power

To the heroes' delight, the carnival was in town and they decided to make it a day of relaxation. There were games to play, prizes to win, shows to watch, and rides to ride. It had been a long time since Yugi and his friends had this kind of excitement and they decided to spend the whole day having fun. They rode the ferris wheel, the carousel, the swing set, and the spinning carts.

Feeling a little dizzy from the rides, Emily stopped for some fresh air. Kaiba noticed that she was looking pale and brought her some cold water. "This'll make you feel better."

"Thanks, Kaiba," Emily said and began drinking. "Aren't you going to go on any rides?"

He shook his head. "I'm not really one for carnival games and rides. Granted, I now manage an amusement park back home, but I'd rather give people that kind of fun than enjoy it for myself."

"There's no reason why you shouldn't enjoy it too," Emily told him. "By the way, how have things been since you opened your theme park?"

"Stupendous," he answered. "Families from all around have been coming to enjoy its attractions and we've really made a lot of money."

"I can imagine," Emily said and drank from her cup again.

Yugi and Joey came before Emily and Kaiba. "Hey, Em, we're gonna ride the roller coaster next," said Joey. "You guys wanna come?"

Emily refused. She didn't like roller coasters. The speed and the heights were too much for her. "No, thanks. I'm going to rest for a while before I go on more rides."

"I'll stay with Briar until she starts feeling better," said Kaiba. "You guys go on and enjoy yourselves." With that, Yugi and Joey went on their way. Kaiba faces Emily and suggests, "Why don't we go for a walk? That'll help."

"Okay," Emily said and got up from her seat. The first place they stopped at was at the snack bar. Emily got a vanilla ice cream cone and Kaiba got strawberry. They left the carnival grounds as they were enjoying their ice cream and found themselves on the path to a forest where Exeggcute and Exeggutor resided.

Kaiba inspected the ground below his feet. He brushed some of the dirt and noticed some of it glimmering. "Hey, Briar," he called to Emily. She stopped and gave him her attention. "This dirt contains particles of Leaf Stones. That's why some of the Exeggcute who jump from the trees and land on the ground are evolving."

"Fascinating," she told him. It was happening as he explained. Some of the Exeggcute moving around on the ground were evolving. When she saw one Exeggcute on a limb, she gasped in astonishment. "Kaiba, look!"

He stands up and follows her gaze. "No way!" he gasps, understanding her excitement. Normally, Exeggcute were pink, but this one was bright yellow.

Emily wasn't going to let this chance slip away. She tossed a Pokéball at Exeggcute to capture her. The Pokémon was drawn inside and the ball began rotating. After the third rotation, the center glowed red. Emily couldn't believe it. She raised the ball and cheered in triumph. "Come on," she told Kaiba. "We've gotta show Yugi and Joey!" He agreed and began following her back to the carnival.

Yugi and Joey decided to take a break as well. They were enjoying some lemonade and sliced pizza. They heard their names being called and saw their friends coming their way. "Hey, guys," Yugi told them.

"Looks like you guys have been having a good time," Joey said, noticing their thrilled expressions.

Emily laughed as she was catching her breath. "You're never gonna guess what happened."

"Briar caught a new Pokémon," Kaiba told them for her. "And it's a different color."

Yugi's eyes widened. "Another one?"

Emily nods and releases the golden Exeggcute from her Pokéball. Joey coughed up some of his food as he saw her. "You weren't kiddin'! It _is_ a different color!"

Exeggcute looked like she was many, but she was actually one Pokémon and Emily knew what to name her. "I'm going to call you Autumn. Do you like that?"

All six of the seeds smiled and cheered approvingly. This was turning out to be an amazing day. And to have come across two Pokémon of a different color during one journey? How lucky can a Pokémon trainer get?


	23. Song of Jigglypuff

Song of Jigglypuff

It's true that people like to party, but there's such thing as having too much of a party and people don't realize it until it's too late. For Yugi and his friends, the time they spent at the carnival was starting to become too much. The rides made them feel sick and tired and the snacks didn't help much either. They needed to find a place where they could rest and eat real food.

With headaches and upset stomachs, the heroes decided that they needed sleep more than food. By the time they came to a Pokémon Center and were given rooms, they collapsed on their beds.

They slept through the night and woke up feeling a little better. Their heads still hurt a little bit and they didn't have much of an appetite either because they were still feeling a little full from the carnival snacks. For now, they decided to get cleaned up and head out.

Now Yugi and his friends were miles away from town. When they were about to head into the forest, they came across a small Pokémon standing on a tree stump. She was round and had light pink fur like strawberry milk covering her body, ears like a cat's over her head, and round turquoise eyes. She was a Jigglypuff. Jigglypuff was classified as a balloon Pokémon because of its ability to inflate itself like a balloon and it lulled people to sleep with its singing.

To Joey, coming across Jigglypuff was a bad sign. She would always sing to anyone she ever met on her way, people and Pokémon, and they would always sleep through her song, which she didn't like at all. Afterwards, she would get upset and draw on the faces of those who slept through her song. Joey remembered the many times he saw Jigglypuff's appearance in the Pokémon series and warned his friends.

Kaiba chuckled in amusement. "Sounds like a Pokémon that takes itself too seriously. I think it's Max's kind of Pokémon. Jigglypuff sounds like it has a stuck-up attitude and can be a brat because it thinks it's so popular and wants attention, but doesn't get it."

Emily begged Kaiba to stop. "Kaiba, you'll make her mad," she warned, noticing how angry Jigglypuff was becoming. But her warning came too late. Jigglypuff jumped high enough to reach Kaiba's height and struck him from behind with her Pound attack.

Although Joey agreed with Kaiba, he decided to keep himself silent. He didn't want to make a remark that would end up making Jigglypuff attack him too.

Kaiba groaned and rubbed his head. "I told you it's a brat of a Pokemon."

"She only attacked you because you offended her," said Emily.

"Jigglypuff can be very proud Pokémon, but like everyone else, they certainly don't like being insulted," Yugi explained.

"I also feel bad for Jigglypuff," continued Emily. "She can't help that her singing lulls people to sleep."

Joey agreed. "It'd be nice not to sleep through it, but we can't help that. On the other hand, it has its benefits. People who sleep through her singing wake up feeling better than they had in a long time."

Emily understood Joey's point. "You're right. It's nothing to be upset about because Jigglypuff is helping make people feel better. Jigglypuff should be happy that those who listen to her song are lulled to sleep instead of only think about feeling like she's being ignored."

But right now, Jigglypuff was feeling like she was being ignored. Yugi and his friends were talking like she wasn't near them. She decided to get their attention the only way she knew how: by singing. Just as the heroes discussed, Jigglypuff was lulling them to sleep with her song. Feeling drowsy, Yugi and his friends gently lowered themselves and began lying down comfortably on the grass. Then they closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep.

When Jigglypuff saw them sleeping, she became upset and puffed up. She was about to draw on Emily's face, but stopped herself as she began thinking about what she was discussing with her friends. It was true that those who fell asleep after hearing Jigglypuff's song would wake up feeling refreshed. Maybe these people had a hard day and haven't been able to get much rest.

Then again, they did ignore Jigglypuff and insult her too, so she decided to punish them as she saw fit. With a sinister smile, she wrote marks on the faces of Yugi, Joey, Emily, and Kaiba.

Emily was the first to wake up. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she wasn't surprised to see her face drawn on. Thank goodness Jigglypuff's marker contained washable ink and she could clean herself easily. She went to the river, rubbed soap on her face, rinsed off, and wiped her face with her towel.

The boys started coming to and like Emily, they took it naturally when they saw the marks on their faces. She smiled and said, "I see Jigglypuff got you too."

"Yeah, but I don't see her around," said Joey.

"Maybe she left after drawing on our faces," said Yugi.

Kaiba grunted and approached the river to wash his face. "Good riddance. I was about to teach her a lesson for that childish prank."

"Maybe she wouldn't have done it if you hadn't offended her," Emily remarked.

"Who cares," Kaiba asked. "I'm sure she was going to do it anyway."

Joey finished drying his face. "Kaiba's right. Jigglypuff doesn't strike me as a forgiving Pokémon."

Yugi finished cleaning his face and sighed, "You know, I'm actually glad Jigglypuff sang her song. Now after waking up, I don't feel so tired anymore and my head doesn't hurt like it did before we left town."

Joey nodded. "I told you Jigglypuff has its benefits." His friends agreed.

A good feeling always calls for a good song. That was when Yugi began singing.

_Anytime, anyplace, anywhere,_

_With trouble brewing or laughter in the air_

_With a smile, with a sigh, with all the right stuff,_

_There are so many times when the song is just enough_

Together, everyone sang soothingly, _Magical powers in the lush grass in the face of Mt. Moon make the song_

_Soothe you, the power of the melody moves you_

Emily takes her turn and sings softly, _When it all seems lost, out of control_

_When the struggle breaks down and fear takes its toll_

_You can count on a friend who's just tough enough_

_And the song that's alive in the heart of Jigglypuff_

_Hours and hours_, everyone was singing, _in the lush grass at the base of Mt. Moon make the song_

_Soothe you, the power of the melody moves you_

_The Sing attack grooves you, the power of the melody moves you_

Together, Yugi and Emily were imitating Jigglypuff's moves as they were singing.

_Defense Curl, think again_

_Double Punch, you'll never win_

_Doubleslap, that's nothing new_

_Double-edge, you're about to lose_

_Body Slam, it's all done_

_The real power's in the song_

Everyone repeated the song once again. _Anytime, anyplace, anywhere_

_With trouble brewing or laughter in the air_

_You can count on a friend who's just tough enough_

_And the song that's alive in the heart of Jigglypuff_

_Magical powers in the lush grass in the shade of Mt. Moon make the song_

_Soothe you, the power of the melody moves you_

_The Sing attack grooves you, the power of the melody moves you_

Everyone continued humming softly as they went on their way.


	24. Attack of the Prehistoric Pokemon

Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon

Continuing their journey, the heroes have come to a canyon. It used to be a site that was open to the public and people could come excavate for fossils, but after the many accidents that occurred, people were no longer permitted to dig.

Joey faces his friends and says, "I know this place has been reported as dangerous, but there's no other way around. We have to go through."

"And risk getting buried alive and crushed by falling rocks and rubble," Kaiba asked. "Not a chance."

Emily sighed. "Even after saving this world and getting the Cobalt Star shard from Arceus, we still can't use our powers. If we could, we could fly over the canyon."

"We can pass through," Yugi was saying. "We just can't excavate for fossils."

"Guys, trust me," Kaiba was pleading. "Passing through here is a bad idea."

Emily agreed. "I like collecting nice rocks, but I'd rather not face danger. I don't want to give in to temptation."

Yugi checked the map, then surveyed his surroundings. "There's a path we can take that's safe. Let's go."

All of Yugi's friends trusted him because he had always gotten them out of trouble. They also had respect for him because he was the leader of the team. They didn't dare question his judgement or abilities.

The path was safe, but the ground was still a little unsteady. Yugi had to keep reminding everyone to watch their step and mind their surroundings.

Suddenly, Emily lost her footing and began tumbling down. She landed a few inches away from the hill her friends were standing on. As she struggled to get back up, the ground beneath her feet began to shift. It was too soft and she felt herself sinking. "Help!" she cried. "Yugi, Joey, help me!"

Her friends saw her sinking. Joey called on Bulbasaur for help. Bulbasaur extended his vines towards Emily and wrapped them around her arms. When the ground she was in opened up into a hole, Emily slipped free from Bulbasaur's grasp and fell to the bottom.

Lucky for Emily, her landing was soft. The bad news was the opening was several feet above her. Waiting to be rescued was pointless too because if her friends came to the area where she fell, the sinkhole would expand and everyone would be trapped.

A disturbing presence began to fill the area as Emily heard ferocious growling. She also saw eyes gleaming through the darkness. The eyes belonged to a group of prehistoric Pokémon. There were Kabuto, Kabutops, Omanyte, and Omastar.

Quickly, Emily called on her Pokémon for help. Shelly, Charlie, Autumn, Ivy, and Majesty all came out to protect their trainer. Charlie was at a disadvantage, but she still helped out by keeping the vicinity illuminated for her friends. Majesty stunned the prehistoric Pokémon with her Thunder Wave, Autumn launched a barrage of seeds with her Bullet Seed attack, Ivy used Razor Leaf, and Shelly used Water Gun.

Although the prehistoric Pokémon decided to retreat, Emily and her team knew that the fight was not yet won. A few seconds later, a more ferocious Pokémon came before them. It was Aerodactyl, a Pokémon that resembled a pterodactyl. Aerodactyl roared at Emily and her Pokémon. Clearly this Pokémon did not suffer intruders lightly.

Emily and her Pokémon turned around to leave, hoping to find a way to escape. Aerodactyl lifted himself from the stone he was perched on, grabbed Emily in his claws and began carrying her off. Her Pokémon tried holding on to Aerodactyl's tail, but they all lost their grips once they came to the surface. "Charlie, Ivy, Shelly, Majesty, Autumn," Emily cried.

"Emily," her Pokémon cried back.

"We've got to stop him," Shelly cried. "He's going to hurt Emily!"

Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba approached Emily's Pokémon. "Girls," Yugi said in relief. "What happened? Where's Emily?"

Their answer was provided as they all saw Emily being carried off by Aerodactyl. "Jeez!" Joey shouted. "It's an Aerodactyl!"

"Unbelievable!" gasped Kaiba.

There was no time to be amazed. Everyone knew that if they didn't do something fast, Emily was going to be Aerodactyl's meal. As she struggled to free herself, her Pokemon launched their attacks at Aerodactyl. Majesty used Dragon Rage, Autumn used Bullet Seed, Shelly used Water Gun, Ivy used Razor Leaf, and Charlie used Flamethrower.

Even after being bombarded by those attacks, Aerodactyl was still able to battle. Outraged, Charlie roared and began glowing. Her companions realized what was happening: Charlie was evolving. She grew larger, her skin tone was bright orange, her neck was longer, dragon wings emerged from her back, and she also had horns on her head. Charlie had evolved into Charizard.

She approached Aerodactyl and snarled, "Let her go."

Aerodactyl growled and said, "You're in no position to be making demands. I answer to no one but myself."

"I warned you," Charlie shouted and used Flamethrower. Aerodactyl protected himself with his wings. When the attack stopped, he began taking off with Emily.

Charlie turned around and looked at her wings. With these, she could pursue Aerodactyl and rescue Emily. But she was going to need help. "I need your help," she was telling her comrades. "I'm going after Aerodactyl. When I get close enough, Autumn, you use your Sleep Powder and Majesty, you use Dragon Breath. Once Aerodactyl becomes too weak to keep flying, he'll slow down. Once he does, I'll get Emily. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Autumn and Majesty say in unison.

Charlie takes Autumn in her arms and Majesty secures herself around her neck. "Okay, let's hurry," she says and takes off.

Aerodactyl continued flying around the canyon, but wouldn't go any further. The surface world was completely unfamiliar to him and he didn't want to be further away from the sinkhole than he already was. That underground world was the only home he knew. The speed and altitude was making Emily feel sick. Her world was shifting and she was afraid she was going to vomit. "Let me down, please," she begged. "I'm not feeling too good right now."

"If I drop you, I guarantee you'll be worse off than you are now," he warned.

"If this is because my friends and I trespassed into your domain and disturbed you, I'm sorry!"

Aerodactyl finally stopped and landed on a cliff. He lifted his leg to get a good look at Emily. "You know, I wish I could accept your apology. You seem like a nice girl. But it's been a long time since I tasted fresh meat and I'm not about to let this chance slip away." He bared his teeth and saliva began dripping. Emily trembled with fear, worried that this could be the end of her.

Suddenly, they heard a familiar roar. Charlie had arrived with Majesty and Autumn. "Hang on, Emily," Autumn called to her. "We're coming to save you!"

"Girls," Emily cried with glee. "You're here!"

It was time to put the plan in motion. Charlie tossed Autumn towards Aerodactyl. She landed on his head and began to use Sleep Powder. The spores started to make Aerodactyl feel drowsy. He also began losing his grip on Emily. She freed herself and Charlie began carrying her in her arms. "It's okay, Emily. We've got you."

For the final part of the plan, Majesty weakened Aerodactyl with Dragon Breath. Aerodactly was having a hard time keeping on his feet.

"Thanks a lot, girls," Emily was saying, "but I can take it from here." She tossed a Pokéball towards Aerodactyl to capture him. Aerodactly was contained and the ball began rotating. After the third rotation, the center glowed, signaling that the capture was a success. "We got Aerodactyl!" Emily cheered triumphantly. Her Pokémon cheered with her.

Emily turned around and faced her Pokémon. "I owe it all to you girls. You demonstrated real team effort and rescued me. And now we have a new friend," she said, holding her Pokéball.

"True, but it'll still take some time before Aerodactyl starts trusting us," said Autumn.

Charlie laughed. "Don't worry. Taming Aerodactyl is nothing we can't handle." She almost slipped, but stopped herself. "Sorry. I guess I don't know my own strength yet."

Her friends laughed with her. Suddenly, Majesty began glowing. Now she was the one who was evolving. She grew larger and her skin tone was darker. She was now a Dragonair.

"Astonishing," said Emily. "Two of my Pokémon evolving in one day. That's a new record." Emily smiled at Majesty and Charlie. "You girls should be proud of yourselves. Your evolution proves the hard work you performed. You're getting stronger and smarter every day."

Charlie and Majesty face each other. "Well, we do have a good trainer to show it," said Majesty.

Finally, the rest of the gang shows up along with the rest of Emily's Pokémon. "Emily," Yugi said, catching his breath. "Are you all right?"

"Sorry we're late," Joey apologized.

"Where's Aerodactyl?" Kaiba asked.

Emily answered everyone's questions. "I'm fine. Charlie, Autumn, and Majesty all came to my rescue and now Aerodactyl is our new comrade."

Her friends were amazed to hear her say that. Still, they agreed that they needed to get out of the canyon before any more accidents would happen. With all the amazing things that happened, coming to the canyon just might be one of the best mistakes the heroes made.


	25. Princess for a Day

Princess for a Day

The Princess Festival was just about every girl's favorite time of year in the world of Pokémon. Girls were free to shop and dine to their heart's content and pay almost no charge. Emily made a quick return home and invited Téa over to join in the fun.

Téa and Emily were enjoying themselves – rather, spoiling themselves in their friends' eyes. They purchased nice clothes, fine jewelry, accessories, even toys and collectibles. The girls were also glad that they could come and go between this world and their world so they could drop their spoils off at home. When they finished shopping, Emily and Téa decided to enjoy a free lunch. They felt bad that the boys had to pay, so out of kindness and generosity, the girls ordered meals for Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba.

"Thanks for inviting me for this big event, Emily," Téa said appreciatively.

Emily smiled and said, "You're welcome. When we came into town and saw that this big event was going on, I thought maybe you should join in."

Téa agreed. "You know, the Pokémon world is an awesome place. All these cool events and traditions and you can go anywhere."

"Have you considered becoming a Pokémon trainer, Téa," asked Yugi.

She had been giving it some thought. While it's only been a few months here in this world, it's only been a few hours back home. It didn't seem like a lot of time to consider. "I think before I'm ready to decide that, I want to experience a little more action."

Suddenly, an announcement went off saying that there was going to be a competition to decide which girl would be crowned the Queen of the Festival. The first prize would also be a Pokémon Princess doll set. Ten different kinds of Pokémon dolls would be wearing traditional princess dresses. It sounded like fun, so Emily went to go and register for the competition.

Kaiba didn't understand the point of it. "Why is she doing this?"

"I don't get it," said Joey. "Emily's already a real princess. She doesn't need to be in a competition to prove that."

"She's just doing it for fun," said Téa. "I also think she wants to win that doll set."

Joey faces her and wonders, "Téa, how come you didn't register?"

"They probably wouldn't let me because I don't have any Pokémon to battle with for the competition," she answered. Without much experience as a trainer, she also thought she wouldn't stand a chance. So she would just cheer for her best friend from the sidelines.

For the preliminary rounds, competitors had to dress like a princess. They couldn't just wear any kinds of dresses or accessories. Their clothing had to be traditional like the ones the dolls were sporting. Emily took the stage wearing a white dress with silver birds and she also wore a golden comb in her hair. To her surprise, Max was a competitor too. She was wearing a dark purple dress with lavender butterflies and a silver comb in her hair.

"Hey, Emily," said Max.

"Hi, Max," she returned. "What a surprise."

"Wish I could say the same to you, but I figured you would be here since you are a princess and all and would treat yourself like one with all the things you could ever want without paying a price."

Emily scowled. "I may be a princess, but I'm not a spoiled brat. I made sure to share this event with my friends."

Max chuckled in amusement. "I'm teasing. Fair warning, though, I'm going to win the doll set."

"Don't be so sure," Emily warned.

"You may have beaten me in the Silver Conference, but I intend to win this match," said Max.

Sometimes, taunting your rivals can also be a way of encouraging them to do their best. Max and Emily were planning on making it through to the end. When they were both in the same competition, the thing they looked forward to most was facing each other in a battle. Although Emily had nothing to prove that she was a real princess, because Max knew as much, she wasn't going to disappoint her rival. Besides, there's more to being a princess than getting your way. Emily knew as much, which was why she was going to be a good sport and not a brat. As for Max, well, in many ways, she was like a princess because she was rich and always got what she wanted, but she remembered that she had to play fair too.

Competitors had to battle with four Pokémon in their parties. Emily chose Majesty, Shelly, Charlie, and her Aerodactyl, whom she named Pterano. Pterano was still reluctant about taking orders from a human, but he was comfortable around the rest of his comrades; especially Charlie. She had been helping Pterano open up to Emily and assure him that he could trust her. For that matter, Pterano decided to give Emily a chance.

For the competition, competitors were assigned to two different fields: the east side and the west. The champions of the two tournaments would face off in one final match to determine who would win first prize. Max was battling in the west tournament and Emily was battling in the east tournament. Both girls battled admirably against a dozen competitors and came out as the champions of the two fields.

It was time for the final battle. Emily chose Majesty as her first Pokémon while Max chose Haunter. Majesty unleashed her Twister, but Haunter evaded the attack. He also came up from behind Majesty and used Hypnosis to lull her to sleep. Afterwards, he used Nightmare to torment her and Dream Eater to drain her energy. Majesty was in no condition to continue, so Emily withdrew her and called on Shelly. Haunter made the same move as before, but Shelly tucked herself in her shell. Haunter tried a different tactic by landing a sneak attack. He disappeared, reappeared behind Shelly, and used Shadow Punch. Shelly emerged from her shell, but she also began gathering the energy around her and focused it into an attack called Aura Sphere. The attack had no effect against Haunter because it was a fighting-type attack, but when Haunter broke through and appeared in front of Shelly, she doused him with her Water Gun. Haunter fell back in defeat.

After defeating Haunter, Shelly began glowing. Her body grew larger and in her shell were two holes above her shoulders, revealing silver cannons. Shelly had now evolved into Blastoise. Emily cheered for her Pokémon.

The battle was still just getting started. Max chose Jolteon as her next Pokémon. Shelly assured Emily she could keep battling. Shelly launched another Aura Sphere attack, but Jolteon dodged. He also landed a direct hit with his Thunder attack and knocked her out.

Emily felt like she was in trouble. Her remaining Pokémon were flying-types, putting them at a serious disadvantage against Jolteon. But she was going to have to take a chance. She chose Charlie as her next Pokémon.

Being able to fly still has its benefits. Charlie is still able to dodge electric attacks. Joleton would also have a hard time seeing because he would have to watch for Charlie in the sky and the sun's glare would irritate his vision. He was having a hard time aiming for Charlie with his electric attacks and ended up getting scorched by her Flamethrower.

To make the battle more interesting, Max sent her own Charizard into battle. He was wearing a brace with the Mega Stone that enabled him to become a dragon-type. Max touched her Keystone, tapping into the power of Mega Evolution. Her Charizard turned black with blue flames on his tail and his teeth. Two could play the same game. Emily tapped into the power of Mega Evolution as well. Charlie was still orange, but her wings were larger and she also had the special ability Drought, intensifying the sun's rays.

With Max's Charizard being a dragon-type, fire-type attacks were useless against him. Charlie was just going to have to rely on her speed instead of her strength. Max's Charizard had brute force, but he also had a hard time keeping up with Charlie. He had a hard time defending himself because he didn't know where she was going to attack from. Charlie still ended up getting hurt when Charizard did manage to attack her.

Both Charizard were standing opposite from each other, panting from exhaustion. A few seconds later, they both collapsed and reverted back to their original forms. Now Max and Emily had only one Pokémon left to battle with. Emily called on Pterano and Max chose Ninetails. Throughout most of the battles, Pterano had been disobeying Emily's commands and fighting his own way. Emily hoped that this time, things would be different.

The sun's rays were still intense, giving Ninetales the opportunity she needed to use her Solarbeam attack. She absorbed more than enough sunlight to fire a powerful beam of light at Pterano. A grass-type attack like Solarbeam is super effective against a rock-type Pokémon, but since Pterano was also a flying-type, he only received half the damage. Ninetails also unleashed a powerful attack called Inferno, trapping Pterano in a fiery storm. Pterano broke free and charged at Ninetails with Iron Head. He also sent many rocks flying towards her with Ancient Power. Crushed by the rocks, Ninetails couldn't find the strength to get back up.

The match was over and so was the competition. Emily was crowned Queen of the Festival and she won her very own Pokémon Princess doll set. All of the dolls were of Eevee and its many evolutions wearing traditional princess dresses.

Max wasn't too disappointed that she lost. When she looked at the doll set, then at Emily, she felt a change of heart. "You know, Emily, that doll set really suits you."

"Do you really think so?" Emily asked.

"Sure," she answered. "You're an Eevee trainer, you own an Eevee farm, and you have almost every possible Eevee-lution."

Yugi agreed. "I think Max is right."

Emily figured that her friends were right. "It is nice. Sorry you couldn't win this, Max."

She shrugged and replied, "There's always next year. I'll come back for the next Princess Festival and win my own doll set for sure."

"I hope you do," said Emily.

Téa spoke up and said, "You know, I think that's what I'll do when I decide to become a Pokémon trainer. I'll join the next festival and even enter other contests."

"Good for you, Téa," said Max. She turns her attention back to Emily and says, "I'll be waiting for you for the next competition, Emily."

She returned the gesture. "I'll be there." The girls shook hands and Max went on her way.

Téa was ready to go home. She even promised to help take Emily's doll set back to her house for her. Emily didn't want to leave Téa to carry it by herself, so she decided to help her out. On the way, Téa figured that the Princess Festival had to be the best time she had in the Pokémon world and she couldn't wait to come back next year. Emily was looking forward to that and hoped Téa would be able to win her own Pokémon Princess doll set too.

The way it was, Emily wasn't the only princess at the festival. In many ways, her friends and the rest of the competitors were princesses too. Max was exceptionally wealthy and could get everything she wanted and Téa got to live like a princess with all of the clothes, jewelry, accessories, and toys she treated herself to. As for Emily, while she knew she didn't need to compete, let alone win to prove she was a princess, she still did it for fun and made sure to share it with her friends. In the end, kindness and sharing are the true marks of being a princess.


	26. Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden

Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden

It seemed like Emily had been paying attention to only some of her Pokémon and not others. She really hadn't been giving most of her companions the same battling experience the rest of her Pokémon had. It was time to put that to work.

Her Pokémon were pleased that they were finally going to get into some training. Ivy wanted to catch up with Charlie and Shelly since she hadn't evolved yet, but she was waiting to do it at the right time. Autumn also wanted to make herself stronger before she would consider evolving.

To start, Emily tossed a few plates in the air like discs. Autumn shattered them with her Bullet Seed. This would be a good way to build up her aim and timing. Ivy joined in using her Razor Leaf. But the attack turned out to be a storm of flower petals instead of leaves. To everyone's surprise, Ivy learned to use Petal Dance.

Petal Dance seemed like a graceful attack for grass-type Pokémon, but it also had its drawbacks. Using Petal Dance also caused confusion. Ivy was beginning to realize that as she was starting to feel a little dazed after the first attack.

That was enough training for now. Emily decided to treat Ivy's confusion. She held a Persim berry in her hand and placed it close to Ivy's mouth. "Eat this," she said softly. "It'll help."

Ivy smelled the berry in her hand and managed to get it in her mouth. She chewed a few times before swallowing. A few seconds later, she started feeling better. "Thanks, Emily."

Just then, Emily noticed that the bulb on Ivy's back was glowing. She wondered, "Ivy, are you-?"

Ivy noticed it too and gasped in astonishment. "It's almost time," she whispered to herself. She looked at Emily and cleared her throat. "Emily, there's something I have to tell you."

She sat down on her knees. "Well, Ivy, you can always tell me anything."

Ivy sighed and said, "Thanks. You know how Pokémon have special traditions for certain events like humans do?" Emily nodded. "Well, all Pokémon have different traditions. For Bulbasaur, it's about our evolution."

"You mean like a coming of age ceremony?" Emily asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Well, I guess you could say that," Ivy replied. "While some Pokémon evolve by gaining experience or touching a certain item or being at a certain location, we still do it at our own time. I've been ready to evolve for a long time, but I've been saving it for this moment." She turns around and looks at Joey. "And so has Joey's Bulbasaur. You see, Bulbasaur, wild and domesticated, come together for the evolution ceremony at a location kept secret from humans."

It was becoming a bit for Emily to take in. If it was in a location where humans were forbidden to enter, it meant that Emily and Joey wouldn't be able to get to see their Pokémon evolve. But Emily could sense that her Pokémon really did want to take part in the ceremony. She also knew that some traditions couldn't be ignored.

At the same time, Ivy began having second thoughts. She didn't want to attend the ceremony if it meant having to say 'goodbye' forever; not after Breezy left to go be with her mate. She hoped there would be a way to attend the ceremony and still be able to come back to her trainer.

Finally, Emily spoke up. "If this is important to you, Ivy, then as your trainer and your friend, I understand. I'm sorry I won't be able to witness your evolution, but maybe you and Joey's Bulbasaur can find a way back to us. If some of the Bulbasaur are domestic, then they must be able to find a way back to their trainers after evolving."

Ivy's smile brightened up. "That's right. They must."

Emily smiled. "All right. Then you go enjoy yourself." Ivy happily leaped into Emily's arms and thanked her. The blonde girl suddenly remembered, "But how are you going to get there?"

"Look at the flowers," Ivy told her. Emily looked and saw so many flower buds in bloom. There were also releasing pollen that shimmered. "The sparkling pollen released by those flowers creates a trail for us to follow. As we follow it, our numbers grow, meaning we're getting closer."

"That's amazing," Emily whispered. Her friends were noticing it too. They weren't sure what was going on, but Emily decided to explain to them everything Ivy told her. The flowers in bloom and the shimmering pollen in the air signaled the coming of the evolution ceremony for Bulbasaur. Soon it would be time for Emily and Joey's Pokémon to go.

Joey was disappointed. He wanted to witness his Pokémon's evolution, but wouldn't be able to if it was located in an area where humans were forbidden to enter. He was also worried about never being able to see Bulbasaur again. But his Pokémon promised to come back.

Just then, everyone saw several Bulbasaur walking through the trees in the forest as they were following the pollen. It was time for Ivy and Bulbasaur to go. They went on their way after receiving everyone's best wishes.

After passing through the forest, a gate made of thick brown vines sealed the entrance. Now no one could enter and no one could leave after the ceremony was over. Beyond the gate was the haven known as the Mysterious Garden. In the middle was a great tree that bore no leaves. All of the Bulbasaur gathered around the tree and began singing. As they were singing, a Pokémon started coming out from inside the tree. It was Venusaur, Bulbasaur's final evolved form.

Venusaur came out of the tree and positioned himself on a stump. He welcomed the Bulbasaur and announced the beginning of the ceremony. The moon was full and overhead. The Bulbasaur began drawing in the pollen in the air. When they did, their bulbs began glowing again along with the rest of their bodies. After evolving, the bulbs on their backs opened up to reveal rose pink flower buds. They had all now evolved into Ivysaur.

Researchers have often argued about Bulbasaur's classification, debating on it being a plant or an animal. But it didn't matter. Plants and animals lived together and depended on one another in order to survive. Plants and trees provided food and also served as shelter for animals. Animals helped keep the plants strong and healthy for the same purpose.

As the sun was starting to rise, Ivy and her friend knew that they had to get back to Joey and Emily. Some of the other Ivysaur were ready to go back to their trainers too. Venusaur understood and escorted them back to the gate.

"Thank you for understanding," Ivy said gratefully. "While we've been looking forward to this ceremony, we can't leave our trainers. They're waiting for us and we promised we'd be back as soon as it was over."

"I understand," said Venusaur. "I once knew a Bulbasaur who did not want to evolve for our ceremony. He was happy for himself being the way he was and wanted to evolve in his own time. After witnessing the courage and strength he displayed, I respected his decision." He faces the rest of the Ivysaur. "Many Ivysaur choose to stay and live in peace. Those who have trainers are permitted to return to them. Change is part of nature and the thoughts and feelings of others must be considered with it."

"That's what the ceremony's really been about, wasn't it," Joey's Ivysaur asked.

"Yes," Venusaur answered. "We can't control change, but we can accept it. Now, go. Your human friends are waiting."

Like a handshake, Ivy and Ivysaur extended their vines towards Venusaur's and gently grasped. After saying goodbye, they passed through the gate and backtracked to the Pokémon Center where their friends were waiting.

Yugi and his friends woke up to the sound of Pokémon cries. Emily recognized one of the voices as she heard her name being called. "It's Ivy! She's back!" Excited, she got out of bed and hurried to get dressed.

"Is she?" Joey asked. Then he remembered. "Wait, if Ivy's back, then that means-" Joey stopped himself and jumped out of bed. After getting his shoes on, he ran out of the room and walked out the door. "Ivysaur," he asked, looking around. "Where are you, buddy?"

Emily came outside as well. "Ivy? Ivy?"

Both Joey and Emily felt something rubbing against their legs. They looked down and saw two Ivysaur at their feet. "It's us, Emily," said the Ivysaur below her. "We're back."

Emily's smile brightened up. "It _is_ you," she said with glee. She picked up Ivy and hugged her.

Joey looked at the Ivysaur below him too and recognized that this was his Bulbasaur. "And Bulbasaur – I mean, Ivysaur, look at you. You evolved. I'm so thrilled and I'm just as happy that they let you come back," he sobbed and hugged him. Ivysaur uses his vines to dry Joey's tears.

While some traditions remain the same, they need a little bit of change. The best part is that when it's over, you can return to your old ways. You may not be able to go back to being who you were, but change is part of nature, after all. And while there are things we can't control, those are the kinds of things we can learn to accept.


	27. Life's Ruff

Life's Ruff

It had been a long time since Emily last challenged a gym. Kaiba checked the map and said that there was a gym on Cinnabar Island. Everyone just had to keep going south to catch a ferry to the island. For now, everyone decided to stop for lunch.

With a bucket in hand, Joey headed to the stream to get water. On the way, he felt like he was being followed. He turned around and saw a Growlithe standing a few feet behind him. Joey bent over and stretched out his hand. "Here, boy," he coaxed. Growlithe just sat still. "Suit yourself," Joey shrugged and resumed walking.

When Joey made it to the stream, he turned and saw the same Growlithe from before. He tried again. "Here, boy." Growlithe slightly tilted his head. Sure enough, this had to be a wild Growlithe because it seemed he didn't like strangers. But he seems curious about Joey. As Joey kneels down to fill his bucket with water, Growlithe leaps on him and starts licking his face. Joey laughs and wipes his face. "See," he asks, ruffling Growlithe's fur. "I wouldn't hurt you." Growlithe barks happily.

After filling his bucket with water, Joey heads back to his friends with Growlithe following him. Yugi was the first to notice the orange puppy with black stripes. "Well, well, Joey, who's your friend?"

"I met this Growlithe while I was getting water. I think he likes me."

Growlite began sniffing around everyone's belongings. Kaiba was trying to shoo him away. Growlithe moved away. Joey figured that maybe he was hungry. Dogs do have big appetites, after all. He found an empty bowl and filled it up with Pokémon food. "Here you go," Joey offered. "We have plenty, so help yourself."

Before Growlithe was about to start eating, his attention was directed at Joey's bracelet. The blonde lad wondered if he was looking at his Keystone. "Oh, you like this?" Growlithe barked and nodded. Joey removes his bracelet and holds it out for Growlithe to see. "It's neat, right?"

Suddenly, Growlithe takes the bracelet in his teeth and starts running off. "Hey, no, that's mine," Joey cried, chasing after Growlithe. The puppy Pokémon continued to scamper around in play. "Come on, Growlithe, I want my Keystone back," Joey demanded.

"He thinks it's a game," Kaiba said, watching in amusement.

"Maybe he'll give you your Keystone back if you play with him," Yugi suggested.

Joey thought about what Yugi said. "Is that it, Growlithe? Do you just want to play?" Growlithe yapped in response. "All right, I'll play with you, but if I do, you gotta give me my Keystone back." As if promising, the puppy raised his right paw up in the air. Joey figured he had nothing to worry about. Growlithe are extremely loyal, so the blonde lad figured the orange puppy would keep his promise.

So they resumed playing. Growlithe continued to run off with the bracelet in his teeth and Joey continued to chase him. The blonde lad was starting to get concerned because they were getting further away from the camp. He was also feeling exhausted from running around so much. Joey stopped to catch his breath. He also found himself standing next to the same stream from earlier. All that running around made him thirsty and he began drinking it down.

Growlithe appeared next to him. "Sorry, buddy. I had to stop." He noticed that his bracelet was still in Growlithe's mouth. Joey got an idea. "Hey, I'm sure all that running around has made you thirsty too. You need to drink too. Plenty of water is good for you."

Growlithe yapped in acknowledgement. He set the bracelet down and began drinking. Joey extended his arm, but instead of taking back his bracelet, he began scratching Growlithe's ears.

They had satisfied their thirst, now they had to fill their hunger. Joey felt his stomach rumble and he also heard Growlithe's stomach gurgle. They agreed to head back to the camp for lunch. Everyone else was probably still hungry too and waiting for Joey to start cooking.

When he got to the camp, he saw his friends battling with each other. Growlithe cringed in fear and hid himself behind Joey's legs. "What's wrong, Growlithe? Have you never seen a Pokémon battle before?"

Emily was getting her Pokémon trained up for her next battle. She remembered that the Cinnabar gym battled using fire-type Pokémon, so she asked Kaiba to be her opponent. Right now, it was his Flareon against Majesty. Flareon trapped Majesty in his Fire Spin, but Majesty freed herself using Twister. After emerging from the storm, she attacked with Aqua Tail. Flareon dodged and used Swift to knock her over. Afterwards, he lunged himself towards her and bit down on her tail with Fire Fang. Gathering all of the energy around her, Majesty forces Flareon off her with Dragon Tail.

Rather than continue battling, everyone decided it was time to eat. Joey made beef stew and Emily made pumpkin spice brownies for dessert. It was a recipe she had been working on and she wanted to share it with her friends. Surprisingly, it tasted good. It was like pumpkin pie decorated with chocolate syrup.

After lunch, Joey got an idea on how to show Growlithe that battling can be fun. "Growlithe, let's have a battle, you and me." Growlithe faced him and whined in question. "Come on, it'll be fun. It's like playing."

Growlithe didn't understand, but reluctantly, he positioned himself across from Joey and took a battle stance. Joey called on Elekid to battle. "Go easy on him, okay, Elekid," Joey requested. Elekid understood and agreed. He made the first move by charging with Thunder Punch. Growlithe lowered himself to dodge. By only swinging his arm in the air, Elekid lost his coordination and fell over. Growlithe leaped on Elekid and bared his teeth and growled. A second later, Growlithe smiled and began licking Elekid. The electric Pokémon laughed as he was being tickled.

It was time for the battle to get serious. Elekid sent sparks flying with his Thunder Shock attack, but Growlithe used Flame Wheel to dodge. He charged into Elekid and bowled him over, but by coming into physical contact with Elekid, Growlithe became paralyzed.

Joey tossed his Pokéball at Growlithe to capture him. The ball rotated three times and the center glowed red. The capture was a success. As Elekid cheered for Joey, he began glowing. Now he was the one who was evolving. Elekid was now Electabuzz. This was a great day for Joey. He made a new friend, his Pokémon evolved, and he even got back his Keystone. A happy ending for this underdog tale.


	28. Taking the Heat

Taking the Heat

Yugi and his friends were now on the ferry to Cinnabar Island. They had been at sea for three days now. Finally, they reached their destination.

When Yugi and his friends disembarked the ferry, they noticed a lot of stands that sold souvenirs and knickknacks. Cinnabar Island did house a Pokémon league gym, but it was also a resort. Not too many trainers came to the island to challenge the gym because so many tourists were instead coming to take a vacation.

There was also a Pokémon research lab in the middle of the island. Thankfully, the Pokémon there weren't being used for experiments; just to monitor their health and abilities. Another one of the island's attractions was the volcano everyone saw in the distance. It also turned out that the Cinnabar gym was located somewhere near the volcano.

Because the island was so full of tourists, finding a place to stay wouldn't be easy. The hotels and inns were completely filled and there wasn't even any room at the Pokémon Center. The heroes had no choice but to find a spot where they could set up camp.

There was time to worry about that later. For now, Yugi and his friends decided to relax at the beach. Before they could, Emily saw a Pokémon at the shoreline. It was baby blue with a vanilla underbody and had a lavender shell on its back. Emily went to investigate. Her friends followed her.

The Pokémon was a Lapras and she was lying on the sand weakly. "You poor Pokémon," Emily said in concern. "What happened to you?"

When Lapras opened her eyes and looked at Emily, she whimpered and begged, "No, don't hurt me, please."

Emily stopped herself from touching Lapras. "I won't hurt you," she promised. "I'm here to help you."

"That Lapras must be in a lot of pain," said Yugi.

"It also looks sick," Joey assumed.

"Where does it hurt?" Emily asked Lapras.

"Everywhere," she answered. "I'm so hot and weak, my head hurts, humans have thrown rocks at me and poked me with sharp sticks." Thinking about it made her start crying.

Emily places her hand over Lapras' face and gently rubs her. "It's okay," she says soothingly. "It's okay."

Lapras stops whimpering and begins to feel relaxed as she feels Emily's hand against her.

To treat her injuries, Kaiba reaches into his medicine kit and takes out a hyper potion. "This is going to sting," he warns Lapras, "but I want you to try to endure it. It will help."

"I'll try," she promises.

"Kaiba, wait, let me do it," Emily insisted. Kaiba gives her the potion. Another thing comes into mind. The pain will likely cause Lapras to thrash around and cry. Emily enlists the help of Majesty and Shelly. "Can you girls hold Lapras and comfort her while I tend to her injuries?"

Shelly and Majesty nod. Shelly holds out her arms and gently keeps Lapras down and Majesty positions herself over her like a rope. "We're ready."

To help Lapras take her mind off the pain, Joey gives her some Oran berries. She begins eating the berries, but winces and whines as the potion is sprayed on her injuries. After applying the medicine, Kaiba and Joey wrap bandages over her flippers and even on her neck.

"We've done all we can on our end, but we should take her to the Pokémon Center," Yugi suggested.

Emily agreed. She held out a Pokéball in front of Lapras. "I won't capture you as my Pokémon," she promises. "We're just going to use this method so we can transport you to a place where you can get proper treatment. I promise to set you free once you've been taken care of."

"I understand," Lapras says and touches the switch, allowing the Pokéball to activate and contain her. With Lapras safely contained, the heroes hurry back to the Pokémon Center.

The facility was full of guests who couldn't stay in the hotels. Emily wasted no time and told Nurse Joy that this was an emergency and a sick and injured Lapras needed help. Nurse Joy understood and prepared an emergency room for her.

There was nothing for Emily to do now but wait. She also figured that a gym battle could wait as well. While waiting, she called Professor Oak and sent Autumn back to him so she would have room in her party for Lapras once she would set her free. Once the arrangements were made, she returned to the lobby, closed her eyes and began praying for Lapras to be strong and come through. Yugi held her to comfort her.

Nurse Joy came by with a report. "Lapras is holding steady for now," she assured the heroes. "I'm glad you were able to take care of her injuries before you got here. What exactly happened?"

"We were playing on the beach and we found her sick and injured," Emily explained. "We don't know how it happened."

For Nurse Joy, the only explanation was that someone was abusing this poor Pokémon and left it to suffer. Lapras are known as transportation Pokémon because they love letting people and Pokémon ride on them for transportation. They're also non-violent Pokémon and won't normally attack unless they're provoked. Because of their sweet tempered nature and obligation to help, their kindness is often taken advantage of and so is the Pokémon itself.

"This Lapras is lucky you came by to help her," Nurse Joy told Emily. "If you had arrived too late, there would have been no way to save her. But it'll still take at least a few days for her injuries to heal and for her fever to pass."

"I understand," said Emily. "Thank you, Nurse Joy."

She smiles and says, "Of course. Lapras is in good hands here."

With Nurse Joy's guarantee that Lapras would recover and be well again, Emily figured that while waiting, she could challenge the gym. It would have to wait until tomorrow, though. It was already dark outside. And since Yugi and his friends are already here, they may as well stay. There weren't any rooms, so they had to stay in the lobby.

The next morning, before heading to the gym, Emily decided to check on Lapras. She was resting in the pool. Her bandages had also been removed, revealing that her cuts and bruises had fully healed. Physically, she was in good condition, but still only by a little. She still had a bit of a fever, but the water was full of medicine supplements to help bring it down. Emily promised Lapras that once she was feeling better, she would set her free. Lapras liked the sound of that. Emily also promised to check on Lapras after her gym battle. Lapras wished her good luck.

Yugi and his friends came to the base of the volcano, but couldn't find a gym anywhere. "May I be of some assistance?" asked a voice.

Emily saw a man with dirty blonde hair and round framed sunglasses. "Yes, I'm looking for the Cinnabar gym."

"The gym hasn't been used for quite some time since all the tourist attractions," the man answered. "These days, gym battles are held at the peak of the volcano."

Everyone was awestruck. "Up there," Joey asked, looking up.

"Battling on an active volcano is insane," said Yugi.

"But it also tests a challenger's courage and stamina," Kaba assumed. "The heat and the smells are overwhelming, but it challenges the trainer to keep calm and focused."

"That's right," said the mysterious man. "The gym leader will be waiting for you," he told Emily. "If you think you have what it takes, climb the volcano."

A challenge for a challenge was what this was. Thankfully, she wouldn't feel pain from the fire or the burning rocks because of her powers. That didn't mean she had nothing to worry about, though. Even with her powers, she wouldn't survive falling into a lava pit. Hopefully there would be an arena with protected sites for challengers.

On their way to the battle site, the heroes stumbled upon a Magby. It wasn't surprising to see one here because they lived around active volcanoes. Kaiba decided to capture Magby to complete his party. He called on Charmeleon. Magby attacked with Flamethrower, but Charmeleon broke through and used Dragon Claw. Kaiba tossed his Pokéball at Magby. After the Pokémon was contained, the ball rotated three times and the center glowed.

After Magby was captured, Charmeleon began glowing. He was evolving into Charizard. Kaiba cheered for his Pokémon. When he looked at Charizard, he got an idea. He and his friends could use their Pokémon to fly to the top of the volcano. Kaiba climbed on Charizard and Emily climbed on Charlie. Yugi and Joey didn't have any Pokémon capable of carrying them, so they rode on Majesty.

When they made it to the peak of the volcano, the heroes called back their Pokémon. To their surprise, they saw the same mysterious man from before. It turned out that this man was the gym leader. He removed his wig and sunglasses and introduced himself as Blaine.

"Well done, Emily," he complemented. "You made it to the peak of the volcano. This is the site where we will have our battle. Think you can take the heat?"

"Besides winning a gym badge, that's what I'm here to find out," she answered. This is one of the battles where a trainer must be strong for their Pokémon. Emily knows that if she can't endure the heat or the smell of sulfur, her Pokémon won't be able to either. A Pokémon's strength is as good as its trainer's. It was time for Emily to put her courage and stamina to the test.

Blaine chose Ninetails as his first Pokémon and Emily chose Pterano. Ninetails made the first move by attacking with Fire Spin, trapping Pterano in a vortex of fire. Being a rock-type, Pterano was able to withstand the fire. He shielded himself with his wings, then began flapping them to create a wind strong enough to stop the fire. Afterwards, he used Ancient Power to hurl rocks at Ninetails. The nine-tailed fox was no longer able to battle.

Blaine chose Rhydon as his next Pokémon. Emily withdrew Pterano and sent Shelly into battle. As Rhydon charged towards Shelly to attack, Shelly used Aura Sphere. The attacked caused Rhydon to fall back. Before he could get up, Shelly hosed him down with a powerful Hydro Cannon, defeating him.

The battle was looking pretty good for Emily, but it wasn't over yet. Blaine had saved his best Pokémon for last. It was Magmortar, a powerful fire-type Pokémon. Unfortunately, Shelly can't move for a while after using Hydro Cannon, which means she's in trouble. Magmortar attacked Shelly with Fire Blast, sending a blast of fire in the shape of a star towards her. Shelly tried to defend herself by going into her shell, but couldn't make it in time. The attack burned her and caused her to fall in defeat.

Rather than risk Pterano, Emily decided to battle with Majesty. Being a dragon-type, Majesty was able to endure fire-type attacks. Magmortar reached his arms out like cannons and sent a blast of lava flying. Majesty dodged the Lava Plume attack, but some of it still ended up landing on her, burning her. Majesty was glad to have the special ability Shed Skin to cure herself of ailments like burns, poisonings, and paralysis.

Majesty fought back using Dragon Breath. The spewing flames not only dealt damage to Magmortar, but it paralyzed the Pokémon too. Magmortar would have a hard time moving, but he could still attack from afar. It was too risky to use Fire Blast, so Blaine commanded him to use Flamethrower. Majesty dove through the fire and used Slam to push Magmortar down. She got burned again after coming into physical contact with Magmortar, but her ability wasn't taking effect this time. After Shed Skin takes effect once, it takes some time for it to take effect again.

Emily had to think fast. The heat of the volcano was starting to bother her, but she also knew that Majesty was waiting for her to give a command. Finally, Emily commanded Majesty to attack with Aqua Tail. Water formed around Majesty's tail, cooling her burn. She also used her tail like a whip to strike Magmortar. Magmortar fell into the lava, but came back to the arena a few seconds later. It also seemed like the lava treated his paralysis because he was moving around again without any difficulty.

Emily saw that Majesty was looking exhausted and tried to call her back, but the dragon wouldn't obey. A second later, Majesty began glowing, signaling that she was evolving. When the light stopped, Majesty became Dragonite, a yellow dragon with limbs and wings. She even gave up the move Slam and learned Extremespeed.

It proved to be a powerful move because Majesty was flying around with great agility as she was attacking Magmortar. Magmortar launched another Lava Plume, but Majesty waved her arm and broke through, causing the lava to splatter. She attacked Magmortar with Aqua Tail again. This time, the attack was stronger. Majesty also made sure to keep Magmortar from falling into the lava. Magmortar struggled to get up, but fell in defeat.

Blaine led everyone back to the base of the volcano. "That was impressive, Emily. You managed to handle the heat and so did your Pokémon. You used their strengths and abilities to their advantage to find the courage to face the fires."

Emily chuckled. "I come from the desert, so I'm used to hot temperatures. But I almost gave in up there."

"You kept your concentration to the end," said Blaine. "This Volcano badge is yours. You earned it," he said, presenting it to her. Emily takes the badge and cheers in triumph.

With her victory against Blaine behind her, Emily hurried back to the Pokémon Center to check on Lapras. It turned out she was feeling better and ready to go.

Emily brought Lapras back to the beach. "Thank you for helping me, Emily."

"You don't have to thank me," she said modestly. "It wouldn't have been right for me to leave you to suffer. And now that you're all better, you're free to go."

"You're really going to let me go?" Lapras asked.

She nods and says, "A promise is a promise."

Lapras began thinking things over. "Well, since you kept your promise, I guess that means I can trust you." She faces Emily directly and says, "I think I want to stay with you for a while. It sounds a lot better than living with the fear of being taken advantage of and attacked again."

"You mean you'll have me as your trainer?" Emily asked.

"If you'll have me as your Pokémon," Lapras returned.

Emily approaches Lapras and gently hugs her. "I would like that very much." Lapras squeals with delight and places her flipper over Emily to hug her. Afterwards, she goes back into her Pokéball. It was wonderful for Emily to have made a new friend by helping a Pokémon who needed a friend.


	29. Battle for the Badge

Battle for the Badge

Upon returning to the mainland, Emily decided that it was time to backtrack to Viridian City to battle for her final badge. Yugi and Joey were nervous about the idea. They remembered that the leader of the Viridian gym was also the boss of the Team Rocket organization and he had an arsenal of rare and powerful Pokémon.

Emily knew, but she wasn't going to allow herself to be intimidated. On the other hand, being the boss of an evil organization meant that the gym leader wasn't always around. In either case, challenging the Viridian gym wouldn't be so easy for her. Still, Viridian City was the closest town around and there wouldn't be enough time to travel to other cities with Pokémon gyms.

It had been eight months since Yugi and his friends came to Viridian City and now they were back. As usual, Emily made a quick stop at the Pokémon Center to make sure her Pokémon were refreshed and in good condition before going to challenge the gym. While waiting for her Pokémon to be examined, Emily joined her friends for lunch.

"You should really take this time to plan for your battle," Yugi cautioned Emily. "The gym leader is strong."

"That's putting it mildly," said Joey. "Giovanni has a lot of rare Pokémon and he makes sure they're powerful against any opponent."

"The way you talk about him, I can understand," said Kaiba. "A leader of an evil organization seeking rare and powerful Pokémon and using them to crush all who oppose him."

Emily took a sip from her tea and set her cup down. "I'm not afraid of him."

"That doesn't mean you have any idea what you're up against," Kaiba told her.

"I won't know unless I challenge him," she retorted.

The brunette sighs and says, "Look, Briar, I admit you've got an impressive party of Pokémon and some of them are rare to come by. I'm sure even this Giovanni character would be impressed too, but a Pokémon's strength and abilities matter more. Against him, your Pokémon's strength and abilities will be put to the test."

Joey agreed. "Giovanni's not an easy guy to impress, let alone please."

Emily tightened her grip on her cup. "He may be a power-mad villain, but he's still a gym leader and gym leaders must be honorable and abide by the codes and regulations of the Pokémon league. That means Giovanni has to play fair. Should I win, he must present me with an Earth badge. If he's impressed with the strength and abilities of my Pokémon, he must show respect. That means he can't steal my Pokémon."

Her friends gave it some thought. "I guess when you put it that way, it gives you little to worry about," said Joey. Yugi agreed, but he still warned Emily to be careful.

After lunch, Emily returned to the register to pick up her Pokémon. Everyone was looking much better and ready to go. With that being taken care of, Emily was ready to challenge Giovanni.

The heroes came before the front entrance to the Viridian gym. Emily knows that once she passes through these doors, there's no turning back. She inhales sharply, then exhales relaxingly. "It's time," she whispers.

"Do you have to be so dramatic," Kaiba asked.

"I'm just trying to relax," he told her. "The thought of facing the gym leader, especially this one, can put a lot of pressure on you."

"It certainly can, can't it," a voice asked. Emily turned around and saw an old woman wearing a purple dress with a white apron. She also had platinum blonde hair over her head and a Keystone in her cane. "I suppose you've come to challenge the gym leader?"

"Yes, I have," Emily replied.

"Well, then, it's good I got here when I did," the old woman said, grinning. "You see, the gym leader is on temporary leave, so I'm in charge of this gym until his return."

Yugi was relieved to hear that. He also looked at the woman again and wondered, "Pardon me, but aren't you Agatha of the Elite Four?"

"I certainly am," she replies, impressed with Yugi's guess. "And who are you?"

"I'm Emily Briar," the blonde girl introduced. "And these are my friends Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba."

Agatha was delighted. "This is a pleasant surprise, meeting the four champions of Duel Monsters."

"We're just as surprised to meet a member of the Elite Four," Emily returned. "Honored, too."

"I'd be just as honored to have a battle with you, Emily," Agatha returned. "It's a shame the gym leader had to miss such a grand opportunity, but I'll be sure to tell him about you. Shall we go in?"

Emily nods and tells her, "I'd like that a lot, thank you."

At first, it sounded like a relief that Emily wasn't going to face off against Giovanni, but facing a member of the Elite Four was giving her second thoughts. The members of the Elite Four are only second to the Pokémon league champion, meaning that they are stronger than the gym leaders. This actually wasn't going to be easy for Emily. Still, she was going to fight her hardest and so was Agatha.

The rules of the battle were simply. Both trainers would battle using three Pokémon and the match would be over when all three Pokémon on either side were unable to continue battling. Emily was permitted to substitute Pokémon when necessary, but Agatha was not.

Agatha chose Gengar as her first Pokémon. Emily chose Pterano. Already the match was starting with two Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution standing face-to-face. Both trainers tapped into the power of Mega Evolution.

"They're battling with Mega Pokémon already?" Joey asked, watching from the sidelines.

"This should be interesting," said Kaiba.

Pterano flew in towards Gengar, but the ghost Pokémon stopped him with Hypnosis. Pterano began to feel dazed. Genagr attacked with a powerful Shadow Ball, sending Pterano back to the other side of the arena. Pterano finally came back to his senses, but as he looked around, he saw that Gengar was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, he reappeared and attacked Pterano from behind.

Although Emily had battled against ghost-type Pokemon before, she knew that this was different because in the past, those Pokémon were under the command of a gym leader. This one is under the command of a member of the Elite Four.

Pterano flew above Gengar and tried to grip him in his talons, but Gengar became transparent and disappeared into the ground. Before Gengar could land another sneak attack, Pterano began spinning. When Gengar reemerged and became physical again, he got whiplashed by Pterano's tail. Pterano turned around and used Iron Head to attack. Gengar crashed into a wall and reverted back to his original form. The effects of Mega Evolution wore off for Pterano too. Though he won that round, he spent a lot of energy. He was still able to battle, but he didn't have the strength to maintain his Mega Evolved state. Seeing how exhausted Pterano was, Emily called him back to recuperate.

Agatha chose Crobat as her next Pokémon. Emily decided to enlist the help of her new friend Dorrie, the Lapras she befriended on Cinnabar Island. Of course, Dorrie wouldn't be able to move on a dry surface, but it was all right. Staying in one place would allow her to catch her opponent when he would be coming in to attack.

Agatha wasn't going to give her opponent that opportunity. She commanded Crobat to use Confuse Ray. Dazed and confused, Dorrie couldn't understand Emily's commands. She kept waving her flippers and moving her head around. She couldn't even defend herself from Crobat's Acrobatics attack. Unable to take anymore, Dorrie launched an Ice Beam attack and managed to surround Crobat in ice. She also violently waved her flipper, creating enough force to toss Crobat against the wall. Crobat tried to gather his strength, but his wings were too numb and cold for him to fly. Finally, Dorrie calmed down and used Hydro Pump. The attack was successful thanks to Crobat being unable to move and Dorrie being able to concentrate and aim.

Agatha certainly didn't anticipate this, her opponents using their confusion to their benefit. The battle wasn't over yet. She still had one last Pokémon. The last Pokémon Agatha chose was Mismagius. Emily decided that Dorrie had enough and called her back to rest. For her last Pokémon, she chose Charlie. Emily also remembered that she could only tap into the power of Mega Evolution once, so Charlie wouldn't be able to Mega Evolve this time. But Emily believed in her Pokémon and they believed in her.

Mismagius used Confuse Ray, but this time, Emily was prepared. Charlie used her wings to shield herself and block the effects of Confuse Ray. She also took flight and launched her Flamethrower down on Mismagius. The ghost Pokémon disappeared into the floor, then reemerged and attacked Charlie from behind with Shadow Ball. Charlie fell from the air and landed on her chest. She got up, but couldn't fly due to the pain she felt in her wing. Mismagius launched her Dark Pulse attack and landed a direct hit. Gathering all of her energy, Charlie unleashes a powerful fire attack called Blast Burn. Neither Agatha nor Mismagius expected this and Emily didn't either. A blast of fire began to fill the arena and Mismagius became trapped in it.

"What was that?" Joey asked.

"Blast Burn," Kaiba answered. "The only way Charlie could have learned that move was for her bond with Briar to be more than strong. Based on that attack, it's clear that Charlie and Briar love and understand each other. Charlie is determined to win this match and she knows that her trainer is just as determined to win."

"The same thing happened back when Emily and Blaine battled and Shelly learned to use Hydro Cannon," Yugi recalled.

When the flames finally subsided, everyone saw that Mismagius was weakly levitating and covered in burn marks. Though she had the advantage to attack, she was too weak to do so. Seeing this, Agatha declared the match over.

"I've seen all that I needed." She approaches Emily and tells her, "You've shown me that your Pokémon's hearts and yours are connected. You helped your Pokémon to keep calm under pressure and you used our tactics to confuse you to your benefit." She faces the boys and continues, "Your friends are right. Your Pokémon understood your determination to win and were able to come through because they love you. And the way you concerned for them at the end of every round proved your love for them."

"Thank you, Agatha," said Emily. "I've battled and trained with ghost Pokémon before, and I've learned to remember my limits and always pay attention to my surroundings."

"And those lessons have certainly taken you far based on our battle." Agatha holds out an Earth badge and presents it to Emily. "On behalf of the Viridian gym, I present to you this Earth badge. It was an honor to battle you and if the gym leader were here right now, I'm sure he'd be just as honored and deem you deserving of this badge."

Emily takes the badge and cheers in triumph. Her friends cheer with her. Now with eight badges in hand, she could register to compete in the Pokémon league.


	30. Secret No More

Secret No More

The Pokémon league was scheduled to take place at the Indigo Plateau two months from now. That gave Emily plenty of time to prepare. For now, she decided to head back to Pallet Town and check on all the Eevee at the rescue farm. She felt bad for leaving everyone in Tracey's care for this long and she was sure he needed a break from all the work.

When everyone made it to the farm, Luna and her siblings charged at the front door to welcome Emily back. They all leaped on her and smothered her with kisses.

Tracey showed up at the gate as well. "Hey, you guys. Welcome back."

"Hi, Tracey," Emily says, standing up. "Sorry it took so long to get back."

"Don't worry about it," he insisted. "Helping out on the farm and being with the Eevee is actually a lot of fun."

"I guess you're used to it after always helping out Professor Oak at his lab, aren't you?" Joey wondered.

Tracey was used to it. It took a lot of work, but he didn't mind. "While you were gone, Emily, some trainers came by and adopted some of the Eevee here. I hope you don't mind that I helped them find good homes for you."

"Not at all," she answered. "I'm glad some of the Eevee were able to find new homes." Then she wondered, "By the way, I don't suppose Misty and Brock have stopped by."

"As a matter of fact," Tracey was saying, "when you told Professor Oak you were coming back to Pallet Town, I took the liberty of calling them and letting them know. I figured your return would be a great opportunity for them to see the farm."

"And here we are," said Brock's voice. He and Misty were coming to the front gate of the farm. Yugi and his friends were delighted to see them again and the two gym leaders were just as thrilled. After consulting with their families, Brock and Misty were able to set aside their responsibilities as gym leaders and take time to come to Pallet Town and see all the Eevee.

When everyone passed through the doors and began standing on the grounds of the farm, Brock and Misty began expressing the same delight everyone else did when they visited the farm.

"Look at all the Eevee," Brock said in astonishment.

"They're all so cute," Misty squealed.

"And you take care of every one of them," Brock asked Emily.

"That's right," she answers. "I'm responsible for every single one of these Eevee. I get a lot of help from Tracey and Professor Oak too." As everyone began walking around, Emily began explaining like a tour guide. "This barn is as big as a family restaurant and is three stories high, so there's plenty of room for everybody. We also have a field where we grow almost all kinds of berries. Like people, all the Eevee had different senses of taste and like different berries mixed with their food. We also have a pond that's as big as a soccer field. The Eevee like to swim in it and it's also clean enough to drink from. And there's plenty of room for them to run around and play."

As Emily continued to explain, her friends noticed that some of the Eevee were picking berries and putting them in baskets. The Eevee who were carrying the baskets were bringing the berries back to the barn. Other Eevee were patting the soil around the plants and watering them. "Did you train them to do that?" Misty asked Emily.

"Oh, yes," she answered. "The Eevee are very helpful when it comes to tending the crops. And after working and exercising, I give the Eevee a thorough grooming."

An Eevee with a yellow collar around his neck approached the heroes. Brock knelt down to observe the Eevee. He could see that this Pokémon was very well taken care of because his coat was shiny and his eyes were clear. "You've been taking very good care of these Pokémon, Emily," he complemented.

"Well, I can't take all the credit," she said honestly. "All of my friends help out."

Another thing caught Misty's attention. "That Eevee was wearing a collar. I thought you said all the Eevee here were adoptable."

"And they are," said Emily. "The collars and tags help me tell each Eevee apart from one another. Plus, the different colors of the collars are designed to tell which Eevee wants to evolve into what Pokémon."

"How do you know what they want to evolve into," Misty wondered.

"I've noticed how some Eevee have been curious about my collection of stones and some of them have even shared with me their personal ideas of what they want to evolve into," the blonde girl answered. "Misty, if you're interested in adopting an Eevee and evolving it into a Vaporeon, come with me."

So Misty followed Emily to the field. The blonde girl took out a golden whistle and placed her finger on the 'C' note. She blew into it and the sound of the whistle called a group of Eevee over. They all wore dark blue collars and they all lined up orderly. Misty was fascinated. "How'd you do that?"

"It took me a lot of work, but I was able to train the Eevee to respond to the certain notes on my whistle," Emily answered. "This group here is trained to respond to the call of my 'C' note. This is also the group that wants to evolve into Vaporeon someday. You can tell by the dark blue collars." She turns her attention to the Eevee. "All right, you lot. I'd like you to give Misty your attention and behave for her. She'll choose one of you lucky Eevee to be her Pokémon." She faces her friend and tells her, "Go ahead. Choose whichever one you like."

So Misty began looking around. It was hard for her to choose because they were all so wonderful and cute. But they were all also special in their own way. Because of this, Misty knew she had to choose wisely. She also noticed that some of the collars had tags. "Are all these tags to tell each group member apart," she asked Emily.

"Right again," the blonde girl answered.

Suddenly, one Eevee approached Misty in curiosity. On her collar was a tag with a dewdrop shape printed on it. To Misty, it looked like the Cascade badge. "Hi, there," Misty said gently. Eevee's ears perked up ad she also sniffed Misty's hand. After sniffing, she rubbed herself against Misty and began purring. Misty made up her mind. "I'll take this one."

"Good choice," said Emily. "And Eevee's happy about it too."

Misty was delighted that she was finally getting her own Eevee. What also made her happy was that this Eevee wanted to evolve into Vaporeon soon. Now that Eevee had a new trainer, she didn't need the collar anymore, so Emily removed it from around her neck. "You and Misty are going to be happy together," Emily promised her. Eevee squealed in delight.

When the girls rejoined their friends, they noticed that Yugi and Brock were having a battle. Brock was pitting his Steelix against Yugi's Kadabra. Steelix coiled himself around Kadabra, but the psychic Pokémon teleported away and reappeared behind him. Kadabra used Confusion to lift Steelix from the ground, but had a hard time keeping his focus and ended up dropping him. Steelix landed on the grass, but he also slipped near the edge of the pond. While Steelix was trying to regain his balance, Kadabra used his psychic powers to lift the water from the pond and splash it against him.

That was enough for now. Suddenly, Kadabra began glowing. He was evolving into Alakazam. Yugi jumped and cheered for joy. Now that his Kadabra evolved into Alakazam, he could Mega Evolve. Yugi secured a bracelet with Alakazite over his Pokémon's wrist.

Battling seemed like a good idea for a workout for everyone's Pokémon. It would also help Emily prepare for the Indigo Plateau. Unfortunately, Brock and Misty couldn't stay much longer. They promised their families they would be back once their time in Pallet Town was done.

"If you're in a hurry," Yugi was saying, "we know a quick way for you to get home."

"You do?" Misty asked.

"Sure," said Joey. "Follow us." He faces Tracey and tells him, "You should come too, Tracey. There's a really cool place we want to show you."

"Really," Tracey asked. "All right, then."

Misty, Brock, and Tracey followed Yugi and his friends to the pond. They weren't sure what this was about, but Yugi asked them to trust him and his friends. Everyone went into the water and began swimming to the bottom. Yugi took the lead and swam for the surface with his friends following and the others behind. When everyone came to the surface, Misty, Brock, and Tracey became amazed with their new surroundings. "Where are we," Misty asked.

"This must be the Secret Garden Ash told us about when he met Yugi and the others," said Brock.

"So you know about this place," said Kaiba.

"Ash mentioned it when he told us about you," Brock answered.

"He also said you guys are from another world," Misty added.

Joey was confused. "If you knew all that before, why didn't you ask us about it from the start?"

"We figured it was too soon," Tracey answered. "But now, we're here. Still, I can't believe it."

Since these three already knew because of what Ash told them, it was a relief that the heroes didn't need to explain a lot to them. Everyone still had a little time, so they decided to explore the Garden and learn more from the heroes.

Once that was done, everyone came to the door with the Pokéball symbol. "This door will lead you back to your world," Yugi was saying. "Think about where you want to go and once you pass through, you'll find yourself where you want to be. And if you ever want to come back here, just pass through any alley. Think about this place as you do and you'll be back here."

"Maybe someday, you guys can come to our world too," Joey figured.

Everyone liked the sound of that. For now, they decided to return to their homes. Brock passed through first and found himself standing in front of the Pewter gym. Misty passed through next and found herself standing in front of the Cerulean gym. Tracey followed Yugi and his friends back to the Eevee rescue farm.

After all that had been going on these past few hours, Tracey decided he wanted to stay at the farm a little while longer and learn more about the Secret Garden and the other worlds. So Yugi and his friends decided to explain all the details. It was a lot for Tracey to take in, but he was amazed to hear about the other worlds that Yugi and the others visited and the friends they made. It still seemed like it was a little too soon to mention that Yugi and the others were also warriors of Millennia, so they decided to keep quiet about that detail until the time was right.


	31. Fumble on the Farm

Fumble on the Farm

The following day, Emily decided to begin training for the Pokémon league. She and her Pokémon were starting off the day with morning exercises. Charlie, Majesty, and Pterano were assigned to some aerodynamic exercises. They took flight and positioned themselves above the barn. Emily commanded them to dive with their wings tucked in. The three Pokémon also began spinning as they were diving. When they came close to the bottom, they opened their wings, lifted themselves upward, and used their tails like whips to hit the ground. Charlie and Pterano's wings were also large enough to be used as shields against enemy attacks. Ivy helped with that training session by using her Petal Dance attack and Dorrie helped out with her Ice Beam. Charlie and Pterano shielded themselves using their wings. When the attacks stopped, Charlie and Pterano opened their wings, back flipped, and used their tails like whips to push the enemy away. Majesty's wings were too small to be used as shields, so she instead used her arms to push back her opponent's attacks.

It was time for some running exercises to build up her Pokémon's speed. Emily and her Pokémon began running laps together in the fields. Unfortunately, Dorrie couldn't run because she had flippers and not feet. For that matter, Emily took her to the beach where there was plenty of room for her to swim. Shelly decided to go swimming with Dorrie. Pterano couldn't run either, so he resumed his aerial exercises.

When everyone finished exercising, a Dodrio crowed, sounding the hour. "All right, that's lunch," Emily told her Pokémon. They all liked the sound of that. All those exercises got them working up an appetite. They all returned to the barn. Of course, it was time to feed the Eevee their lunch too.

There were food bowls of different colors for each group of Eevee. Some of the Pokémon even picked some berries to go with their food. Emily filled the bowls and set them down. Emily also prepared lunch for her party. "Here you are, everyone. Eat as much as you want. We have more than enough for seconds."

"Thank you, Emily," her Pokémon said with great appreciation and began eating.

"And when you've all finished and are resting your stomachs, how about I give you all a thorough cleaning?" she offered.

"Yes, please," Shelly replied. Ivy and Charlie agreed.

"You mean bathe," Pterano asked.

"I've never had a bath before," Dorrie asked. "How does it work?"

"You don't have to worry about a thing," Charlie assured her. "It's a pleasant thing."

After lunch, Emily decided to start with Ivy. She took a watering can and used it to give Ivy a shower. The cool water was refreshing to her and the warmth of the sun made it feel just as nice. After showering Ivy, Emily took a clean towel and began drying her off. Charlie decided to go next to show Pterano how gentle Emily was with bathing her. Emily took a cool wet towel and began rubbing it against Charlie's skin to clean off the sweat and dirt all over her. Seeing Charlie look so relaxed and content made Pterano assume he had nothing to fear. Emily knew that since he was a rock-type Pokémon, Pterano would hate taking a bath with water. Instead, she took a dry scrubbing brush and began using it to clean off the dirt and dust. Pterano was beginning to feel relaxed and was enjoying his cleaning. For the remaining Pokémon, Emily began scrubbing Majesty, Dorrie, and Shelly with soap and water. She also sprayed water from the garden hose to rinse the soap suds from their bodies.

Emily sighed and wiped the sweat from her brow. "How's everyone feeling?"

"Wonderfully refreshed, thank you," said Majesty.

"That felt really nice," Dorrie confessed.

"That was surprisingly good," Pterano admitted.

Emily was pleased to hear that. "Now that you're all feeling better, how about we get into some battle practice?"

Charlie agreed. "I like the sound of that." The rest of the Pokémon agreed.

"Okay, then," Emily was saying. "Let's find Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba."

Since Emily was training for the Pokémon league, the boys distanced themselves to give their friend some space. They were still helping out on the farm. Now that Emily was ready to train through battling, they were ready to help her.

Joey decided to be Emily's first opponent. He tossed his Pokéball and called Ivysaur into battle. Emily chose Ivy as her first Pokémon. Joey's Ivysaur made the first move by using Vine Whip to catch Ivy and toss her across the field. Ivy got back up and unleashed her Petal Dance. Joey's Ivysaur got caught in the storm of petals, but the attack subsided once Ivy began to feel confused. He used Vine Whip once again to slap Ivy in the face. To finish her off, Ivysaur used Solarbeam. Ivy fell in defeat.

While Emily was taking care of Ivy, Joey's Ivysaur began glowing. He was evolving into Venusaur. Joey cheered in triumph for his Pokémon. Now that he was a fully evolved Pokémon, he could Mega Evolve in battle also. Joey secured a brace containing Venusaurite around his Pokémon's neck. As Ivy came to her senses and saw her friend wearing a Mega Stone, she thought to herself how she was looking forward to being able to Mega Evolve too.

Kaiba decided to be Emily's next opponent. He tossed his Pokéball and called Dragonair into battle. Emily chose Shelly as her next Pokémon. Dragonair made the first move by spewing his Dragon Breath. As Shelly took damage, she also began focusing the energy of the attack. When she did, she unleashed Dragon Pulse.

Kaiba admitted that last attack took him by surprise. What was even more surprising was his Dragonair was evolving into Dragonite. This battle just got interesting, but he still figured he had the upper hand. He had studied Shelly's attacks carefully and knew how to stand against his opponent. Skull Bash, for instance, was commanded, but as Shelly was charging in to attack, Dragonite used Dragon Tail to send her back. As Shelly was trying to get up, Dragonite charged in with Dragon Rush and defeated her.

"Looks like your Pokémon need more battle practice," said Kaiba.

"It's not surprising that you guys would win," said Emily. "We've been traveling together for a long time, so it's only understandable that you would be studying all of my Pokémon's moves and abilities."

"All the more reason we make the best opponents," Kaiba told her.

"And with the Pokemon league coming up, us helping you by battling you is even more reasonable," Yugi added. "So what do you say, Emily? One more battle?"

"One more," she agreed. So she and Yugi took their positions. Yugi chose Pidgeotto as his Pokémon and Emily chose Charlie. Both Pokémon took flight above the farm and remained in the air while flapping their wings. Pidgeotto unleashed a storm of feathers with her Feather Dance, but Charlie flapped her wings to blow them away. Pidgeotto landed a sneak attack with Aerial Ace and struck Charlie from behind. Charlie tried to fight back with Flamethrower, but Pidgeotto dodged. Pidgeotto started coming in again with her Wing Attack, but Charlie shielded herself with her wings and smacked Pidgeotto with her tail. The flames on Charlie's tail released embers and burned Pidgeotto's wing. The pain in her wing was making it difficult to keep her flight in order and she began falling. As Charlie dived after her, she covered her body with her wings, spun around, and just when she was about to touch the bottom, she positioned herself upward and used her tail like a whip to strike Pidgeotto once more.

With that one victory, Charlie's aerial training was certainly put to good use. Emily was confident that it would help her win her battles in the Pokémon league. It was less than two months away, but that gave Emily plenty of time to train with the help of her friends.


	32. The Cat's Meow

The Cat's Meow

Five weeks had passed on the farm with the same routines of working and training. Emily had even stopped by the Pokémon Center a few times to give her Pokémon physical examinations. Nurse Joy was pleased to see that the Pokémon were getting plenty of rest and exercise and eating a balanced diet of Pokémon food and freshly picked fruits and vegetables.

After working so hard, Emily decided to let her Pokémon out to relax. They deserved to take a long break after all that hard training. While her Pokémon were playing in the fields of the outskirts, she started preparing lunch for the Eevee on the farm. Everyone's food bowls were filled. Now she had to mix everyone's favorite berries with the food. Looking at the charts posted on the wall, she took a few berries from the parcels on the table. Some of the berries were chopped into small bits and others were crushed and squeezed to extract their juices.

As Emily looked at the berries on the counter, she thought to herself, "I wonder if I can make desserts from these berries." She remembered that some cuisines in this world were made from the berries here and she figured, why not? Then again, it wouldn't be a good idea to try it back home considering that the berries didn't exist in her world.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Lumina came by. "Emily, we have a situation," she said in alert.

"What's wrong, Lumina?"

"There's a strange Pokémon in the berry fields," she answered. "I think you should check it out."

"All right, I'm coming," she said and began setting her tools down. She followed Lumina to the berry fields and saw many Eevee surrounding a Pokémon angrily. "What's going on over here?"

The Eevee moved aside. The Pokémon they surrounded was a Meowth and she was covered in dirt from head to toe. The Eevee were all barking, accusing Meowth of trespassing and stealing. The Meowth tried to protest that it wasn't true, but she collapsed and began lying flat on her chest.

Based on Meowth's condition, there was no time to get her to the Pokémon Center. Instead, Emily carefully picked her up and carried her back to the barn. When she got to the barn, Emily used the hose to fill the tub with water. After filling the tub, Emily gently placed Meowth inside, applied soap on her body, and began scrubbing the dirt off. After thoroughly scrubbing Meowth, Emily poured a bucket of water over her to rinse the suds off. When she finished cleaning Meowth, Emily gasped in astonishment. This Meowth had different coloring. Usually, Meowth had cream colored fur with brown toes and a brown tail tip, but this one had fur of a darker shade of cream with pink toes and a pink tail tip.

"I guess I couldn't see that you were a Pokémon of a different color because you were so dirty," Emily apologized. She lifted Meowth out of the tub and wrapped her up in a towel to dry her off. "There. Is that better?"

The Scratch Cat Pokémon was starting to feel much better. "That did feel nice," she replied. "Although the water was a little chilly and maybe if you had been the teensiest bit gentler,"

"Sorry for being so rough, but you did have a lot of dirt on you," said Emily. "Where did you come from, anyway? And what are you doing all the way out here?"

"You know, here and there," Meowth answered.

"Oh, you're a wild Pokémon."

"I used to live in the city," the Scratch Cat Pokémon explained. "But it was too rough for me. Besides, when you're a Pokémon of a different color like me, you stand out and people are after you in an instant. I covered myself in dirt hoping humans wouldn't notice me. Still, I didn't have it easy. I lived in the back alleys eating scraps from garbage. Finally, I got fed up with living a rough life and decided it was time to get away from civilization and live a life of freedom in the wild. But with me being who I was, I couldn't stay in one place for too long. So I kept moving and before I knew it, I wound up here."

"The Eevee said you were stealing our food," Emily remembered. "Is that true?"

"I honestly didn't know I was on anybody's property," Meowth said sincerely. "I was just so hungry and the berries looked delicious. The Eevee tending the crops noticed me and got angry and then you came along and here we are."

It was clear to Emily that this Pokémon had been through a lot. She also believed that she was telling the truth. "Well, I can't be angry with you for that." Just then, she heard a faint gurgling sound coming from Meowth's stomach. "I can tell you haven't had anything to eat in a long time. Wait here, all right?" So Emily got up and went back downstairs to the dining area.

She came back with a plate of sliced Oran berries and a saucer of Moomoo milk. "Here, this'll make you feel better."

Meowth sniffed the berries and began eating them. "It's good. Thank you."

Emily giggled. "I have to get back to work, but you just make yourself at home and let me know if you need anything."

"You'll let me stay?" Meowth asked. "I really wouldn't want to impose. And I should be able to at least pay you back for the trouble I caused."

"It's no trouble at all," Emily insisted. "I'd never turn away from a Pokémon who needs help."

"Well, there must be something I can - wait." Then the golden charm on Meowth's head began glowing and small lights came out from it, creating coins.

Emily picked up the coins. "Cool, you can use Pay Day."

"Consider it a thank you for having me," Meowth insisted.

Feelings of delight began to build up inside of Emily. "You are just so wonderful," she said, hugging Meowth. The Scratch Cat Pokémon chuckled and began purring. "You know what? I'm going to call you Kitty."

"Kitty," Meowth echoed. "All right. I'm your Kitty." And they both began laughing in delight.

It wasn't surprising to Emily's friends that she would want to take Kitty as her Pokémon. It wasn't because she was a Pokémon of a different color, but because she was a cat and Emily was a cat person. Plus, when she was young and still living with her mother, stray cats would always come to her house to visit her and play with her. In time, Emily and her mother would find good homes for the cats. Taking Kitty in would be like those old days.


	33. The Indigo Plateau

The Indigo Plateau

The time for the Pokémon league was drawing near for Emily. With only two weeks until the competition, she decided it was time to head to the Indigo Plateau. Professor Oak and Tracey gave Emily their best wishes and promised to look after the Pokémon at the rescue farm for her.

Emily and her friends passed through steep hills and rugged mountains. After four days of traveling, the heroes made it to the Indigo Plateau. The landscape was beautiful with the lush green fields and clear blue waters. It seemed like a perfect place to do some last minute training.

There were no warm up exercises today. Emily was ready to battle right away. Joey decided to be her first opponent. The first Pokémon he chose was Jolteon. Emily chose Ivy as her first Pokémon. Ivy made the first move by attacking with Razor Leaf. Jolteon intercepted with Pin Missle, tearing the leaves to shreds. Afterwards, he attacked with Thunder Fang. Ivy was able to withstand the attack since electric attacks had no effect on grass-type Pokémon. She used her vines to force Jolteon off and she blasted him away with Petal Dance.

Joey called Jolteon back, but before he could choose his next Pokémon, Ivy began glowing. She was evolving into Venusaur. The flower on her back had fully opened up and she was bigger. Emily hugged her Pokémon and congratulated her.

The next Pokémon Joey chose was his Rhyhorn. Emily chose Shelly as her next Pokémon. Rhyhorn charged in with Take Down, but Shelly used Aura Sphere to stop and weaken him. Rhyhorn struggled to get up, but Shelly wouldn't let him. She used Aura Sphere again and defeated him.

From the sidelines, Kaiba and Joey were watching them battle. Yugi asked for Kaiba's opinion. "What do you think?"

"Briar's been training her Pokémon well these past several weeks," Kaiba admitted. "All those exercises really built up her Pokémon's speed, defenses, and attack power."

"Yeah, I'm impressed," said Yugi. "We've really helped her out too by battling with her. And our Pokémon have been gaining as much battle experience."

"That's true," Kaiba admitted. "However, at this rate, the match between Wheeler and Briar may not last long based on how things are going. She's trained her Pokémon so well, they're beating their opponents with one attack."

Yugi saw that Kaiba was right. Shelly had already defeated Rhyhorn and that didn't take a lot of effort. For Joey's last Pokemon, he chose Growlithe. Emily called Pterano into battle. Growlithe got fired up and began charging in with a Flame Wheel attack. Pterano used his wings to defend himself and push Growlithe back. Growlithe attacked with Flamethrower, but Pterano used his tail to trip him up. He also attacked with Iron Head. The attack wasn't very effective since it was a steel-type move, but Growlithe felt like he was hit with a metal pole.

Joey called Growlithe back and approached Emily. "Way to go, Em. All that training has really paid off for you. I'm sure you'll win the Pokémon league with no problem."

"Thanks, Joey. Although I don't want to get too overconfident about the competition. And it really doesn't matter if I win or lose. All that matters is that my Pokémon go out there and we do our best."

"That's right," Yugi said in agreement.

Kaiba remembered something. "Let's not forget, Max will be competing here too."

The thought of it was making Emily excited. "Can you believe it? Me and Max battling together again?"

Kaiba grinned and asked, "What was that you were saying just now about not wanting to get carried away?" Emily chuckled nervously. "You girls will have to battle the rest of the competitors before you face each other."

Joey was a little nervous. "Remember how you guys were paired off to face each other in the semifinals of the Silver Conference?"

Emily remembered, but she wasn't worried. "Things don't always happen the same way twice. There's no telling when Max and I will be paired off to face each other in the competition. That's why I've got to be prepared for anything."

Yugi decided to offer a little more encouragement. "Even if you girls do face each other, it really doesn't matter who wins or loses. What matters is that you do your best out there and have fun. You're both great Pokémon trainers." Kaiba and Joey agreed. There was still time to think about the Pokémon league and prepare for the battles. For now, it was time to rest.

At last, the Pokémon league was about to begin. To celebrate the commencement of the Pokémon league, a runner with a torch began making his way to the stadium. The flame in the torch was fire from the legendary bird Moltres. It symbolized the spirit and courage displayed by the competitors and the hope of a wonderful competition.

After verifying her credentials at the registration desk, Emily walked to the stadium with dozens of other trainers. Max was one of them. Max took notice of Emily and said, "Well, well, you finally made it."

"Of course," Emily replied. "I couldn't wait to get here."

Max chuckled. "Come on, I know you've been here at the Plateau for the past few days training your Pokémon. You're going to need it to get through the competition. I hope you'll last long enough for us to battle again."

Emily grinned and promised, "Don't worry, I will."

Max grinned back. "Good, and when we do battle, know that I intend to win."

"Oh, yeah," asked Emily. "Who beat who last time?"

Max scoffed. "Listen, Emily, the Silver Conference is in the past. The Indigo League is going to bring new surprises. Trust me when I say I've been training carefully too. Your Pokémon are impressive, but only a battle will decide which of us is the best."

"Then let's find give it our all and find out."

"You're on." When the torch at the top of the stadium was lit, the girls grasped and shook hands.

The following day, the preliminary battles were scheduled. Emily went to the front desk to check the time and place of her fist battle. In the preliminary rounds, trainers had to battle on four arenas representing four landscapes: rock, ice, water, and grass. The trainers to come out victorious for all four battles would proceed for the competition. Right now, Emily's first match was going to be on a water arena.

It didn't take a lot of time for Emily to consider what Pokémon to use in her battle. Shelly and Dorrie were both water-type Pokémon, giving them the home field advantage. The last Pokémon she chose was Majesty. She also had a bit of an advantage when it came to water. After getting her group organized, Emily went to the designated arena. There she met her opponent, Nora, a girl with auburn hair and an orange dress with yellow flowers embroidered on it.

Nora chose Ivysaur as her first Pokémon and Emily chose Dorrie as her first Pokémon. Ivysaur tried to attack with Razor Leaf, but Dorrie evaded the attack. She was very agile in the water. She also dived under the water and began swimming to the platform Ivysaur was standing on. Ivysaur was taking this time to take in sunlight. Dorrie broke his concentration by using her strength against the platform and knocking Ivysaur off balance. After taking in enough sunlight, Ivysaur unleashed his Solarbeam attack. Dorrie countered with Ice Beam. The Ice Beam broke through the ray of light and attacked Ivysaur, defeating him. The Solarbeam was weakened by coming into contact with Dorrie's Ice Beam, but it still dealt some damage to her as well.

Nora chose Dewgong as her next Pokémon. Dorrie wanted to keep battling, but Emily wasn't going to allow it. She called her back and sent Shelly to take her place in this round. Dewgong began swimming over to Shelly, charging in for a Take Down attack. Shelly tried to attack with Aura Sphere, but Dewgong was just too fast in the water. Emily tried a different tactic and ordered Shelly to use Dragon Pulse at her feet. Trusting in her trainer, Shelly does as told. By the time Dewgong gets close enough, the attack forces her to stop charging before he gets caught in the blast. Dewgong tries to attack with Ice Beam, but Shelly dives into the water. As Dewgong looks for Shelly, she comes back to the surface after attacking him from underneath with Skull Bash. Dewgong was no longer able to battle.

Nora's last Pokémon was Masquerain. Since she was a flying-type Pokémon, Emily decided to match wits with her own flying-type Pokémon. She withdrew Shelly and sent Majesty into battle. Masquerain makes the first move by attacking with Hidden Power. Majesty uses her arms to push the attack back. Masquerain uses Ice Beam, trapping Majesty's arms in ice. It doesn't last long, however, once Majesty uses her strength to break free from the ice. Majesty flies towards Masquerain and whiplashes her with Aqua Tail. Masquerain falls to the platform, unable to find the strength to keep flying.

Watching from the sidelines, Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba were impressed. "That battle went quicker than I thought," said Joey.

"You sound surprised," said Kaiba.

"Well, I didn't expect anything less from Emily," he replied. "Really, I didn't."

"None of us did," said Yugi. "And we never do."

With her victory in the water field behind her, Emily went to the next designated arena for her second match. In the rock field, her opponent was a young girl with strawberry blonde hair tied to her sides and a sleeveless lavender shirt and dark blue skirt. Her name was Kimberly and her first Pokémon was Onix. Emily chose Autumn as her first Pokémon. Autumn had the type advantage, but Onix had the field advantage. He slithered around the field and hid behind stones to protect himself from Autumn's Bullet Seed attack. Autumn was having a hard time keeping her eyes on Onix. Suddenly, Onix emerged and landed a hard Tackle on Autumn. She launched another barrage of Bullet Seeds and managed to land a successful attack. Onix was about to coil himself around Autumn, but she used Psychic to stop him. Now that Onix was also in close contact, Autumn was able to use Sleep Powder to make him drowsy. She launched another barrage of Bullet Seeds and defeated Onix.

Kimberly's next Pokémon was Farfetch'd. Emily called Autumn back and sent Kitty into battle. Kitty leaped from one rock to another as she began making her way to Farfetch'd. Before she could land an attack, the Wild Duck Pokémon began hitting her with his stick. After that, he used Double Team to create duplicates of himself. Emily had an idea on how to find the real one. She told Kitty to stand on her hind legs and spin around while using Pay Day. As commanded, Kitty pirouetted and sent coins flying from her charm. A few duplicates were destroyed, but Kitty managed to find the real Farfetch'd. She raised her paws in the air and released her claws to attack with Fury Swipes. Farfetch'd continued to defend himself with his stick and he also attacked with Cut.

Finally, Emily got an idea on how to make Farfetch'd lose his grip. She told Kitty to charge in again. Farfetch'd steadied himself, but when Kitty got close enough, she used her tail to trip him up. Farfetch'd lost his balance and his grip on his stick. Kitty pounced on him from behind and attacked with Bite. Farfetch'd saw his stick, but before he could get it back, Kitty shot coins at him with Pay Day. Farfetch'd fell back in defeat. A few seconds later, Kitty started glowing. She was evolving into Persian. Normally, Persian were cream colored cats with brown ears, but the color of Kitty's fur was vanilla and her ears were pink. As Emily checked Persian's information on her Pokédex, she also noticed that Kitty had learned some impressive new attacks.

Kimberly was amazed, but she wasn't going to give up. Her last Pokémon was Furret. A normal-type for a normal-type. Emily was going to keep Kitty in the game. Kitty made the first move by attacking with Power Gem, sending shimmering stones towards Furret. The striped ferret used Dig to escape. Feeling Furret's movement in her heels, Emily guided Kitty away. She leaped on to one of the stones and got away just when Furret popped out from underground. Kitty raised her paw and attacked with Slash. As Furret tried to get up, Kitty held her down with her paw. Since Furret couldn't run, her only chance was to use Dig. This time, Kitty was ordered to stay where she was. When Furret came up from under the ground again, Kitty whiplashed her with her tail and hit her against a rock. Furret was no longer able to battle. Emily cheered for Kitty and hugged her as she congratulated her. Kitty meowed, rubbed herself against Emily, and licked her face to kiss her.

Emily's remaining two matches were tomorrow, so she decided to give her Pokémon the rest of the day to recuperate. After dropping her Pokémon off at the Pokémon Center, Emily and her friends went to one of the restaurants in town. The good thing about being a participant in the Pokémon league was that trainers could eat for free. Even Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba didn't have to pay a cent because though they weren't competing, they were Emily's friends and it would all be on her.

The next day, Emily was facing a boy named Ivan in the ice field. For the first round, it was Ivan's Nidorino against Shelly. Nidorino used slipping to his benefit and slid around on the ice to approach Shelly. When he got close enough, he prepared to attack with Poison Jab. Shelly protected herself by withdrawing into her Shell. From within, she unleashed her Dragon Pulse and sent Nidorino crashing into a large pillar of ice. Ivan saw that Nidorino was no longer in any condition to fight. He called him back and chose Glaceon as his next Pokémon. Emily called Shelly back and sent Pterano to take her place. Glaceon had the type advantage over flying-types, but Pterano had type advantage as well for being a rock-type.

Glaceon made the first move by attacking with Ice Shard, sending small pieces of ice flying towards his opponent. Pterano counted with Ancient Power, sending a large pile of stones towards Glaceon. Pterano took flight and began diving towards Glaceon. The ice-type Pokemon saw him coming and launched his Ice Beam attack. Pterano used his wings to shield himself and he used his tail to attack Glaceon, tossing him in the air. Pterano attacked with Iron Head, dealing serious damage. Glaceon was unable to continue battling.

Ivan's last Pokemon was Walrein. Emily didn't want to risk Pterano, so she sent Shelly back into battle. Walrein made the first move by creating an Ice Ball and firing it at Shelly. Shelly intercepted with Aura Sphere. Emily remembered that Ice Ball gets stronger after every use, but it also takes time to make the next Ice Ball more powerful than the previous. After Shelly used Aura Sphere to stop the second Ice Ball, she tucked inside her shell and began sliding across the ice and towards Walrein. Walrein's third Ice Ball shattered after coming into contact with Shelly's shell. Emily wasn't going to give Walrein a chance to fire another Ice Ball. She commanded Shelly to use Skull Bash. Shelly was in striking range, but Walrein didn't have enough time to finish creating his Ice Ball. Shelly attacked him, causing him to slide across the Ice and land hard against an ice pile. Shelly finished him off with Dragon Pulse.

Now Emily's last preliminary match was on the grass. Her opponent was Bella, a trainer from Cherrygrove City in the Johto Region. Bella's first Pokémon was Sunflora. Emily chose Charlie as her first Pokémon. Sunflora attacked with Razor Leaf, but Charlie flapped her wings to stop the leaves and push them away. Charlie attacked with Flamethrower, engulfing Sunflora in her flames. After one attack, Sunflora was defeated.

Bella's next Pokémon was Persian. Emily called Charlie back and sent Kitty to battle. Everyone in the audience was intrigued to see two Persian battling each other, but they knew to tell them apart by their coloring. Like lions, the two Persian pounced on each other and began wrestling. They were clawing, biting, and kicking each other. Bella's Persian attacked with Slash and Kitty whiplashed her opponent with her tail. Bella's Persian unleashed his Blizzard attack and Kitty intercepted with Power Gem. The attacks collided, creating an explosive mist. Bella's Persian charged in and was about to unleash his Blizzard attack again, but Kitty used her hind legs to kick Persian into the air. She also took this chance and attacked with Power Gem. Persian landed on the ground and was unable to get back up.

Bella's last Pokémon was Roserade. Emily withdrew Kitty and sent Charlie back into the arena. Emily didn't want to take her chances. She touched her Keystone to tap into the power of Mega Evolution. When Charlie Mega Evolved, the sun's rays intensified. Her special ability Drought was taking effect. The sunlight was also irritating Roserade's vision. She squinted her eyes and placed her hand over her face to block the light. Her irritated vision also made it hard for her to aim as she was trying to attack with Energy Ball. Charlie effortlessly dodged and attacked with Flamethrower. Being engulfed by the flames and scorched from the heat made it a double dose of pain for Roserade. Unable to take anymore, she fell in defeat.


	34. Friend and Foe Alike

Friend and Foe Alike

With the preliminary matches behind her, Emily would be facing her next battles at the main stadium. For now, it was time to tend to her Pokémon. Emily began brushing Kitty's fur, scrubbing the dirt off and making her coat clean and shiny. Kitty was also treated with a saucer of Moomoo Milk.

Autumn was sprinkled with water and cleaned with a washcloth. Seeing how strong and healthy Autumn looked made Emily wonder. She reached into her bag and took out a Leaf Stone. Autumn saw it and asked, "What's that you got there, Emily?"

She opens her hand, making it visible to see. "I found this Leaf Stone a long time ago and I've been holding on to it in case you would ever want to evolve. Not that you're not strong enough already."

Autumn did want to evolve, before Emily found and captured her. When Autumn became part of the group, she thought that Emily was keeping her from evolving. Soon after they started traveling and training together, she considered that maybe she could wait a little while longer and gain new training experiences that would help her get stronger. Now the opportunity was at hand. Without delay, Autumn took the Leaf Stone from Emily's hand and began dancing around it. In the process of evolution, the seeds came together as one big palm tree named Exeggutor. Normally Exeggutor had chocolate brown bodies with yellow heads and viridian green leaves, but Autumn's body had a hint of shiny reddish brown leaves. Autumn danced around with glee and Emily hugged her.

Emily tended to the rest of her Pokémon the usual way. Pterano was cleaned with a brush, Charlie was cleaned with a washcloth, Ivy was given a shower with a hose, and Majesty took a bath in the lake.

The next day, Emily went to the main concourse to check the information on her next battle. Max was there too. "Max," she called.

Max turned around and saw her coming. "Emily, so you made it through the preliminary rounds after all. I'm impressed."

"Would you have expected anything less," Emily remarked.

"No, I knew you'd make it this far," she replied.

"So any idea who you're going to face in your next battle?" the blonde asked.

Max didn't know. "That's what I'm waiting to find out." She looks up at the screen above the registrar's desk. "As you can see, a lot of the charts are still blank."

Just then, Emily heard her name being called. The blonde went up to the desk and was presented with a fishing rod. The clerk told her to cast her line in the tank next to her and reel in a Magikarp. The mark on the Magikarp would decide which arena she would battle in next at the stadium. It was an interesting way to decide how the trainers would be paired off.

Emily reeled in a Magikarp that had A-5 marked on it. To her surprise, that was the arena Max was already assigned to, meaning that the girls were going to be opponents tomorrow.

That evening, Emily went outside to look at the stars. She tried not to think of it being too soon for her and Max to face each other, but part of her wondered why fate had to be so unkind most of the time.

"I thought I'd find you out here," said Max's voice.

Emily turned around and saw her standing next to her. "Yeah, just like back in the Silver Conference. Only this time, you found me."

Max chuckled and invited herself to sit down. "Thinking about tomorrow?"

She was. "Mm-hmm. It should be all right, I think."

"Why don't you tell me how you really feel," Max suggested.

The blonde sighs and decides to be honest. "You know, Max, we've been through a lot together in all the places we've been to and you've always had my back. In every contest and match we faced each other in, you pushed me to be my best. You were always there for me in every confrontation, like the time you saved me from Fiore and in our struggles in the Xiaolin world. I don't think I'd be the fighter I am without you. You're my fiercest rival, but you're also my good friend."

Max was intrigued to hear Emily say all that. "I understand how you feel, Emily. But don't feel like you owe me anything. I know you're determined to win just as I am, so I want you to go out there and battle me with everything you have."

"Okay," Emily promised. "We can't both win, but if I'm the one who has to lose, well, I'm glad it's to you."

"Likewise," Max returned. The girls shook hands and returned to their suites.

Before going to bed, Emily did some last minute studying on Max and her Pokémon. According to the records, she won all four preliminary matches with all three Pokémon and without any of them being defeated in battle. That didn't surprise Emily. She knew Max was a tough competitor. She also knew that most of her Pokémon were capable of Mega Evolution and she would likely tap into its power. Emily had to take this time to plan carefully.

The following day, Max and Emily took their positions in the arena, ready to battle. From the sidelines, Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba figured that this could be the ultimate rematch. And it wouldn't matter which of the girls would win or lose. The boys would be happy for the both of them.

Emily chose Shelly as her first Pokémon and Max chose Gengar. Already Emily was at a bad disadvantage. Most of Shelly's attacks wouldn't be able to deal much damage to Gengar nor would she be able to keep up with the agility of a ghost. Shelly makes the first move by launching her Dragon Pulse. Gengar intercepts with Dark Pulse. The attacks collide, resulting in an explosion. Shelly tucks herself in her shell and begins rapidly moving around the arena, but Gengar uses his ghostly powers to become transparent and hide himself below the surface. Shelly comes out from her shell, feeling dizzy. Gengar emerges as well, ready to attack. Quickly, Shelly unleashes Hydro Cannon. Gengar felt like he was swept away by a tidal wave. He also felt like he was shot with water from the hose of a fire truck. He fell in defeat.

For Max, that one victory for Emily meant an easy victory for her. Knowing Shelly can't move for a while after using Hydro Cannon, she takes this chance to attack with a devastating move. Her next Pokémon is Dugtrio and she commands him to use Fissure. That attack was bad news. When a Pokémon uses Fissure, it lands a one-hit knockout on the opponent. And since Shelly can't move, the attack is guaranteed to be successful. And it was. The ground split open, Shelly fell inside, and came back to the arena unable to continue battling.

Emily sent Ivy to battle. Max withdrew Dugtrio and called on Charizard. Now Emily was in real trouble. The only Pokémon she had with a type advantage against Charizard had just been defeated. Ivy made the first move by attacking with Petal Blizzard. Charizard broke through the storm of flower petals and attacked head-on with Flamethrower. Already Ivy was defeated.

Now Emily was down to her last Pokémon. _It's risky, but it's my only choice. _Her last Pokémon was Charlie. Max had a feeling Emily would choose Charlie. Now the battle could get interesting. Both girls touched their Keystones and began tapping into the power of Mega Evolution. The Mega Stones the Charizard were wearing began resonating with their trainers' Keystones, allowing them to Mega Evolve.

Everyone in the audience was amazed. Two Mega Evolved Charizard were standing face-to-face against each other. Max and Emily both remembered that last time their Charizard battled when Mega Evolved, the battle resulted in a stalemate. They both had a feeling that this time things would be different. The only way to know how things would end would be to continue the battle. After all, the girls agreed that things don't always happen the same way twice.

Charlie was still faster than her opponent, but Max's Charizard was still stronger. He had also been trained to keep his eye on his opponents no matter how fast they are. Every time Charlie flew in to attack, her opponent would attack her with Flamethrower. The flames weren't doing much damage, but Max noticed that they were causing Charlie to slow down by a little bit. Charlie tried to whiplash her opponent with her tail, but Max's Charizard grabbed her by her tail, pulled her in, and dealt an uppercut for her face, socking her in the jaw. Charlie managed to jab him in the stomach, making him release her. Now the two Charizard were in the air high above the stadium. Charlie tucked in her wings, began spinning, and started diving towards her opponent. Max's Charizard was ready. He grabbed Charlie with both arms, tightened his grip around her, and started bringing her down.

"Charlie's in trouble!" gasped Emily.

"Finish it," Max said grimly.

When they got close enough to the bottom, Max's Charizard threw Charlie down for a rough landing and flew back towards Max. Charlie managed to get up, but only for a few seconds and she fell back down and reverted back to her original form.

"No, Charlie, no," Emily cried, running to her Pokémon. "Are you all right?"

Charlie opens her eyes and smiles weakly. "I'm sorry, Emily," she said weakly. "I tried."

"Oh, Charlie," Emily sobbed, gently hugging her. "I'm the one who's sorry."

The effects of Mega Evolution wore off for Max's Charizard too. "That was a tough one, wasn't it," she asked, seeing him panting and sweating. "But you really came through. Well done. Now get some rest," she ordered, calling him back inside his Pokéball. She approaches Emily and tells her, "That was a tough battle."

Emily stands up and dries her eyes. She smiles at Max and says, "It sure was. Congratulations. Though I'm sad I lost, I'm still happy that you won."

"In a way, you and you Pokémon are winners today too," Max complemented. She was right. Emily and her Pokémon shared strong bonds that would continue to last through every struggle and hardship. In many ways, a loss is a victory because just as much, even more, can be gained. For Max and Emily, their rivalry hasn't changed. In fact, their battles are bringing them closer to each other as well as their Pokémon. It's also what's making their friendship stronger and helping them understand each other better. In the end, no matter who wins or loses, both girls are great battlers and winners.


	35. All's Well That Ends Well

All's Well That Ends Well

The following day, Yugi and his friends watched Max's battle from the sidelines. This time, competitors were permitted to use full parties in their battles. The way the battle was going, it was anybody's game. Now Max and her opponent were down to one Pokémon each. It was her Charizard against Spencer's Garchomp. Both Pokémon were Mega Evolved and ready to face each other. They were both dragon-type Pokémon, but Garchomp was also a ground-type, giving him a type advantage over Charizard. Charizard was still able to fly and avoid most of Garchomp's attacks, but some sand got caught in his face and even in his eyes. Garchomp dealt the last blow, attacking with Draco Meteor. A barrage of rocks filled with the power of dragon force came raining down on Charizard and defeated him.

When the battle ended, Max left the arena and went to the lake. Emily came by to check on her. "Hey, Max."

She turned around and replied, "Hi, Emily."

"How are you doing?"

Actually, Max wasn't too disappointed with herself for her loss. She smiled and said, "Well, it looks like you and I have one more thing in common."

"We do?" Emily asked. They did. After Emily beat Max at the Silver Conference and lost her next battle, this time, it was Max who beat Emily and lost her next match. But it was nothing to be upset about. The girls remembered that a loss is also a gain and even more can be achieved.

Max and Emily returned to the main stadium to participate in the closing ceremony. While the first place winner got a trophy, all other competitors got a commemorative badge as a consolation prize. At the end of the ceremony, there was a show of fireworks with shapes of many different Pokémon.

"Well, we didn't win, but we still had fun," said Emily.

Max agreed. "We sure did. We met lots of new friends, people and Pokémon alike, we went to some new places, and learned some new things."

After some consideration, Emily figured that maybe her friends were right. A Pokémon journey was good for Max. She certainly seems a lot happier since she came back to this world. But now the Indigo League has come to an end and it's time to go home.

Before going home to their world, Yugi and his friends returned to the Eevee rescue farm in Pallet Town. When everyone got to the farm, there was a huge celebration. The farm was decorated with balloons, streamers, and lanterns and there were trays filled with pizza, fried chicken, hot dogs, kabobs, cakes, pies, and ice cream. There was even some refreshments for the Pokémon. Everyone in town pitched in to throw this party for Max and Emily for their efforts in the Pokémon league.

At the end of the party, everyone helped clean up and take some leftovers home. Once that was done, Yugi and his friends were ready to return to their world. Since time moved at a different rate between worlds, Emily figured it wouldn't be bad to leave the Pokémon at the farm by themselves. Yugi, Joey, and Kaiba agreed to leave their Pokémon in Professor Oak's care.

Yugi and his friends left their Pokémon at the laboratory and made their way back to the Secret Garden. Joey yawned and stretched. "Well, that was fun. But I'm ready to go home and enjoy a nice home cooked meal."

"After you already ate?" Kaiba asked. "Typical."

"Hey, guys, what region do you want to explore next when we come back to this world?" Yugi asked.

"There'll be time to decide when we come back," said Max.

Then the thought came to Joey. "You know what? When we get home, it'll be like we're on vacation."

"I guess," Max shrugged. "But wasn't going back to the Pokémon world kind of like a vacation?"

"Yeah, it was," Joey replied.

"Maybe you should only say that when we come back from a world we've explored during our mission," Kaiba suggested.

"Good point," said Joey.

Yugi still agreed. "When we need a break from all the stress and hardships in our world, we can go on vacation in another world."

Emily nodded. "For now, we're going home after the end of a vacation." Then her thoughts began to broaden. "But who knows when we're going to a new world?"

"For now, let's just enjoy our time in the worlds we've already explored," said Joey. "We've still got some friends to show this place to." Everyone agreed. The time they spent in the Pokémon world was a vacation. Once they would go to a new world, it would be based on their mission. But once they would return home to their world, they would be taking a break.

When everyone passed through the door to their world, they all took separate paths home. Emily unlocked the door to her house, removed her shoes, and emptied her backpack. She looked at the badges in her case. "I guess I'll keep these as souvenirs," she said, admiring her badges. She placed the badges in a glass container and positioned them on the shelf next to the badges she won in the Johto Region. She also turned her attention to the Pokémon Princess doll set. It was a cute doll set.

Just then, Avalon came walking by. "Hello, Avalon," Emily said, picking her up. "I've missed you." The calico purred and began rubbing her face against Emily's. It was true. A trainer's love for their Pokémon is no different than a person's love for their pets. They should be loved and appreciated equally. They shouldn't be seen for what they are as what they are alone, but also for what makes them what they are. Pokémon and animals shouldn't be seen or treated as just Pokémon and animals. They should also be loved and valued for what makes them friends, companions, and family.


End file.
